Chapter 532: The Righteous Path of the World Is Marked by Vicissitudes (The End of the Complete Book)

In the last ten days of the fifth month of the eighth year of Jian’an, the Grand Marshal and Grand Commander of Yan, Lü Fan, together with Shi Xie, the de facto ruler of Jiaozhou, entered Huan Yuan Pass and arrived in Luozhong.

The Duke of Yan immediately ordered that, from Prime Minister Jia Xu down, the central civil and military officials of Yan should go twenty li south of the city to welcome them… This gesture forced the sixty-two-year-old Shi Weiyan, who dared not even pause to catch his breath, to rest for only half a day in Goushi County town before hurriedly bringing his eldest son Shi Xin and setting out again with Lü Ziheng, arriving in Luoyang on the twenty-seventh day of the fifth month.

After entering Luoyang, Lü Fan led the hundred officials into the city to report to Gongsun Xun, while Shi Xie was arranged to stay for a night at the Duting Hostel east of the city. It was not until the evening of the next day that Gongsun Xun appointed the Minister of Works, Wang Lang (Wang Jingxing), and the Right Vice Minister of War, Shi Wu, as chief and deputy envoys, to invite Shi Weiyan and his son—who were said to have shed tears for half the night before the Han Emperor—to his private residence for a meeting and a banquet.

Meeting again after nearly twenty years apart, the things around them had changed but the people remained the same, and naturally they were filled with endless emotion.

Therefore, although it was a private banquet, and aside from the Duke of Yan and his two sons, and Shi Xie with his son and brothers—four in all—the only other person present to keep them company was Wang Lang, this did not hinder Shi Weiyan from first recalling past events, then expressing gratitude for the current situation, and then feeling grateful for the Duke of Yan’s profound virtue in rescuing all the people under heaven, including the scholars and commoners of Jiaozhou, from fire and water, until finally he shed tears on the spot.

This bout of weeping was, frankly, even more exaggerated than the tears he had shed before the Son of Heaven the previous day.

To this, Gongsun Xun naturally… let him have his way!

After all, according to his plans, it would be good enough if by the time his son died they could develop the region south of the Yangtze River a little; how many generations would it take to truly and effectively control the Pearl River and Rinan? So, as long as the Shi family could maintain a centripetal force toward the central government while assisting in pacifying the Jiaozhou barbarians, letting the old man act as a local emperor was no problem at all—let alone the fact that the old fellow simply had a strong urge to perform.

In short, the two sides, after all, shared a bit of a bond from feeding chickens together in former days, and also had mutual needs under the future grand scheme. After a little tentative probing, Shi Weiyan set his mind at ease.

And so both sides parted in complete enjoyment.

But that very night, Shi Weiyan, who had earlier regretted not probing more clearly into Gongsun Xun’s specific plans, suddenly sobered up from the wine back at the Duting Hostel… The reason was simple: the man who had escorted him back, a close attendant of the Duke of Yan and the second son of the former Luoyang Prefect Sima Fang—Sima Yi—after turning away, directly opened the courtyard gate of the Son of Heaven’s quarters right in front of him, and reminded the young Emperor not to forget the abdication ceremony the day after tomorrow. And the Son of Heaven actually agreed without hesitation.

For a moment, Shi Xie felt as if he were in a dream, and could not believe it even after sobering up the next day.

However, it was not up to him to disbelieve, because soon after, his own nephew, who had been drinking with him just the day before—the Deputy Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Shi Kuang—came personally to call, reminding his uncle of exactly what to do and how to behave the next day: first serving as the Han Palace Assistant Censor-in-Chief, then becoming the Privy Counselor of the Yan Censorate, with several different sets of official robes already delivered.

At this, Shi Weiyan had no more second thoughts and finally accepted reality.

And that night, shaken by this news, he sat alone behind closed doors in the Duting Hostel, sitting blankly, and for once truly shed a few lines of turbid tears… Yet how many of those lines were shed for the Han dynasty he had served for forty or fifty years, and how many were shed for his mentor Liu Tao, he himself probably did not know. Only the tide of the times shifts, beyond human will, and in the blink of an eye the next day arrived, leaving Shi Xie naturally no more room for second thoughts.

This day was the thirtieth of the fifth month, a Gengyin day in the Wuwu month of the Wuyin year. The weather could be called good, and could also be called bad.

It was good because, amid the blazing summer, this day actually had somewhat thick clouds and a stirring summer wind, making one feel comfortable; it was bad because today the Duke of Yan, Gongsun Xun, was to offer sacrifice to Heaven and receive the mandate on the three-tiered sacrificial altar north of the city, accepting the abdication of the Han, replacing Han with Yan, and ascending the throne as Emperor… On such a great day, the civil and military officials of Yan throughout the city would rather have it be as stiflingly hot as the previous days than see the wind snap the flagpole during the abdication, or dark clouds blot out the sun during the sacrifice to Heaven.

The ceremony was very complex, but the first half had basically nothing to do with Gongsun Xun, being mainly the task of the Han Emperor Liu Xie.

He changed into the full regalia of the Son of Heaven, and led some of the Han ducal ministers brought by Lü Fan—the so-called Han court from the Jiangxia region—out of the city to the north, to offer sacrifices to the Grand Ancestor Liu Bang and the Epochal Founder Liu Xiu, and to pay respects at several Han imperial tombs near Mount Beimang… And thanks to Jia Xu’s presence, the damage to the Han tombs had not been too excessive. Yet as the young Son of Heaven performed these rites, even though he had long since agreed to it, he could not help but recall past events and weep in sorrow.

The accompanying “Han ducal ministers,” who were mostly from Central Plains aristocratic families still loyal to the Han, all joined in the weeping. Even the accompanying Yan officials could not help but feel sorrow, and who knows how many shed a few tears… In the end, it came down to that same saying: with four hundred years of legitimacy, who could be without emotion at such a moment? But it was merely emotion, at most accompanying with a few lines of tears like Shi Xie. Turning around, they still had to do what they had to do, and still had to look forward to what was to come!

After the sacrifices were complete, the Son of Heaven, just outside the northern suburb of the city, directly issued two edicts: one was the instrument of enfeoffment and abdication; the other was a personal edict stating his own abdication.

The former had long been drafted for him by Wang Xiang, a ready-made piece that needs no elaboration—Liu Xie did not even know its contents. The latter, however, he dictated on the spot and had written down by the newly appointed Han Palace Assistant Censor-in-Chief, Shi Xie, who had just resigned all previous posts and taken up this office only a few hours before.

Once the edicts were written, the Son of Heaven turned directly toward that three-tiered abdication altar, while Shi Xie personally boarded a carriage, in full regalia and with full insignia, holding the two edicts in both hands, and proceeded to Gongsun Xun’s private residence in the city.

When he arrived, Gongsun Xun was actually still handling official business—it turned out that several key ministers who were out pacifying and commanding various southern regions had sent congratulatory dispatches along with their situation reports. The Duke of Yan naturally had to personally write instructions in reply, to be sent back along with the originally planned rewards. Among them, Guan Yunchang had even specially enclosed a military report that greatly interested the Duke himself, recounting how this Guan Zhendong had recently personally led the navy south and finally surrounded his “old acquaintance” of many years, Yu Du, off the coast of Kuaiji, forcing the latter to throw himself into the sea and die. This also made Gongsun Xun recall past events with a string of sighs.

Of course, once the edicts arrived, Gongsun Xun naturally stopped all this, but Shi Xie dared not make Gongsun Xun kneel to receive the enfeoffment… What a joke! Now the entire city was filled with Yan subjects and the Yan army; even the few newly arrived commoners were all family members of Yan officials. Even Shi Xie himself would soon become a Yan subject. Who would such a performance be put on for?

And so, the two simply stood—one before the desk, one seated behind it; one reading, one listening… just like that.

“We have occupied the throne for ten years, encountering the overturning of all under Heaven. We have been fortunate to rely on the spirits of Our ancestors and the loyal service of Our ministers, so that peril was met with survival. Yet looking up to observe the celestial signs, and looking down to examine the hearts of the people, the fate of the Flame Essence has reached its end, and the course of fortune lies with the Gongsun clan. Therefore, the Duke of Yan has not only established divine and martial achievements, but also radiated brilliant virtue to answer the appointed time. The calendar’s clarity is manifest, and can truly be known. The Great Way’s practice makes all under Heaven a commonwealth, selecting the worthy and capable. Thus Tang Yao did not show partiality to his own son, and his name spread without end. We admire and envy this, and now We follow in the footsteps of the Canon of Yao, abdicating the throne to the Duke of Yan.”

“Not bad.” Gongsun Xun, already dressed in the Son of Heaven’s robes but without the twelve-tasseled imperial crown, nodded slightly after hearing this edict. “It can be considered to have a few parts of genuine feeling… With these words, it will be enough to exchange for a decent posthumous title in the future.”

Having said this, he naturally turned to look at Gongsun Ding, who was standing in attendance at his side. The latter understood and immediately bowed his head in assent.

“And there is no need to be so solemn.” Gongsun Xun stood up and looked around at the people to his left and right with a smile. “Today is merely the change of one family and one surname, nothing to be considered a great matter. Besides, the spirit of Yan originally emerged from the old Han, just as indigo blue is extracted from the indigo plant. It brings renewal in governance, yet does not lose the old contours of Han… In these four hundred years of Han, the hearts of men have been deeply dyed. Though the virtue of the Liu clan is exhausted, the strength and glory of Han cannot be erased. All of us here, though we establish Yan by the Mandate of Heaven, are also true men of Han, true subjects of Han. In the future, on such matters, we should avoid taboos, to show the succession of Han by Yan.”

The civil and military officials waiting there, from Shi Xie on down, all bowed their heads in obedience.

And since the Duke of Yan had given his definitive words, Shi Xie hurriedly read aloud once more that formulaic edict of “Enfeoffing the Son of Heaven,” originally drafted by Wang Xiang. After everyone had roughly heard it, they delayed no further, but directly clustered around the Duke of Yan and went out the door.

The so-called abdication ceremony was, in truth, just that sort of thing—the Han Emperor Liu Xie offered sacrifices to the ancestors, Heaven, and Earth, then issued an edict “enfeoffing the Son of Heaven.” The Duke of Yan, Gongsun Xun, received the edict, proceeded to the Abdication Altar to the north to decline. Both sides declined and yielded three times, and then Gongsun Xun performed obeisance on the altar, whereupon Liu Xie helped place the twelve-tasseled imperial crown upon him. Immediately after, the Han Emperor also removed his own imperial crown, and after descending the altar, performed a reciprocal salute. With that, the abdication was considered successful.

Finally, when the Duke of Yan, now the Son of Heaven, offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth on the altar, informing the August Heaven and Sovereign Earth, and returned after the rites were complete, the change from Han to Yan became a settled matter.

However, setting aside the matter of the ceremony, the moment Gongsun Xun stepped out the door, he openly violated the ritual protocol—he refused to ride in a carriage, instead mounting a white horse with his broken blade, and rode proudly down Bronze Camel Street, and no one around dared to remonstrate.

In truth, this was precisely why the ceremony was held in Luoyang. Luoyang had no excess residents; everyone above and below belonged to the trusted core officers and soldiers of Yan, so there was no need to bear the risk of any performance.

And so, once mounted and out the door, all along the way, from the Grand Marshal and Grand Commander Lü Fan and the other Commander Gongsun Yue on down, military officers from every command, envoys from minor states, and frontier vassals such as Mo Hukou; as well as Jia Xu, Shen Pei, Lou Gui, Wang Xiu, Cheng Pu, Xi Zhong, and all other internal and external officials currently in Luoyang, from the Prime Minister on down, had long been waiting by the roadside according to their rank and status. They all held their breath, and under the cover of the White Horse Volunteers along the route, abandoned their carriages and mounted white horses to follow.

The vast procession turned north at the west side of the old Southern Palace ruins. As they exited Luoyang’s northern Xia Gate, there were also Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, Cheng Lian, Tian Yu, Tian Chou, Yang Kai, Yuwen Heita, and Yufuluo, each leading selected elite cavalry and infantry from their commands. Armor and naked blades gleamed dazzlingly; golden drums, banners, and pennants fluttered in the wind. Tens of thousands of troops accompanied and guarded them.

As these tens of thousands marched along, they were solemn and tense at first, but they moved faster and faster, growing more and more relaxed. When they arrived before that three-tiered earthen altar north of the city, seeing that all directions were filled with the Yan army, everything within sight was Yan territory, and all officials, officers, and soldiers were Yan subjects, they rose in a great surge, utterly without worry, their hearts expanding, free of all doubt and fear.

Also devoid of any remaining second thoughts was the Son of Heaven, Liu Xie, standing on the platform. In a daze, he gazed into the distance at far more than tens of thousands of men and horses—all good ministers and fierce generals, loyal subjects and brave warriors. How many among them could compare to Xiao He, Zhang Liang, Han Xin, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing? Yet all were arrayed for Yan, and this was merely a part of Yan’s subjects… With that, he too completely let go of his last sliver of thought.

In the afternoon, the great procession arrived before the Abdication Altar. First, the soldiers and troops swiftly formed ranks encircling it on all sides; then the White Horse Volunteers swiftly took up arms to occupy and take control of the altar top and base, serving as the honor guard; next, the key ministers and great generals of Yan ascended the altar to replace the so-called “Han ducal ministers,” while the officers and officials could not wait to take their places around the Abdication Platform according to their rank… Finally, it was the Duke of Yan himself who, under the gaze of all, supporting himself on that broken blade, slowly ascended the platform.

At this point, the Duke of Yan publicly violated the rites for the second time—he did not perform the three ritual declinations on the ground, the first tier, and the second tier in sequence. Instead, without a single declination, he directly ascended to the third tier of the Abdication Platform, standing face to face and side by side with the Han Emperor.

At this, neither the Han Emperor, nor Shi Xie—who stood between the second and third tiers presiding over the ceremony—nor the countless Yan civil and military officials below, did a single person do anything superfluous at this moment.

In fact, once the two had taken their places, Shi Xie did not hesitate at all. He immediately took the long-prepared twelve-tasseled imperial crown from the hands of Sima Yi behind him, held it reverently on a wooden tray with both hands, and came to the highest step of the second tier. There he knelt before the two men on the third tier, raising both hands high to present this object.

The Han Emperor likewise did not hesitate, and directly reached out to take it and crown the man before him.

“Your Majesty, step down!” At that moment, Gongsun Xun, who had ascended the altar without a word, suddenly spoke, raising his voice to declare: “I shall do this matter myself.”

On this day of shifting winds and clouds, in this place specially chosen for its open expanse, once the words were spoken, they immediately spread across the altar top and base. And though everyone present had long ceased to harbor second thoughts, upon hearing these words now, they could not help but be stunned, and then a slight stir arose.

However, Liu Xie was, after all, a clever man, and his reaction was swift. He immediately responded: “The Duke of Yan’s power was built by himself, so he may well handle this himself.”

With these words, the young Han Emperor immediately removed his own twelve-tasseled imperial crown, descended from the third tier to the steps between the second and third tiers, and handed the crown to Ma Dai, who was waiting there at his side, to hold. He then stood solemnly in waiting, yet seemed as if a great burden had been lifted.

And Gongsun Xun, gazing at the imperial crown that Shi Xie knelt and held before him, did not rush to take it up. Instead, he leaned on his blade and looked around haughtily, then addressed the slightly stirring crowd below the platform, raising his voice once more:

“Just now, the Han Emperor said that the power I hold today was built by myself, and so I may handle this myself. These words miss the mark! For how can the strength of one man overturn heaven and earth, establish Yan, and supplant Han? The deed I accomplish today was truly achieved together with all of you, my lords! As for the crown before me, though it appears to be the work of a few skilled craftsmen completed in a month, it was in truth forged by all of you, my lords, striving together with me, shedding blood together, over these ten years!”

The crowd below the platform immediately fell into disciplined order, and under the lead of Lü Fan, Gongsun Yue, Jia Xu, and Gongsun Ding—the four standing on the second tier—they bowed their heads and made a deep, full bow in response.

“Therefore, in donning this crown today, I must of course thank the Han Emperor, but even more must I thank all of you, my lords, before me now!” The sky was high, the clouds moved, and a great wind gradually rose. When the officials below had straightened up, Gongsun Xun, one hand on his blade, stroking it ceaselessly, continued to raise his voice with all his might, proclaiming to the four wilds: “And thank the hundreds of thousands of officials and soldiers of Yan guarding all corners of the realm at this moment! Thank the heroic spirits who, over these ten-odd years, drove forward beneath my horse as my vanguard, dying without a backward glance! And of course, thank my mother, who poured out her family’s wealth to aid the cause! Thank my two mentors, who imparted virtue and strength to me!”

At this point, he paused slightly, then suddenly laughed, looking around to left and right: “And also thank my adversary, Yuan Benchu! Thank my old friend, Cao Mengde! Thank my sworn brother, Liu Xuande! And even more, thank all the heroic spirits who, since the outbreak of chaos and disorder, have died for integrity, died for ideals, died for morality, in these fifteen years of tumult!”

The summer wind blew fiercely, with the force of a northern gale. To the north, the mountains and hills loomed majestically; to the south, the old capital stretched long and winding. Between heaven and earth, there was no sound but the wind and its echo.

“And of course, even more must I thank all the heroes and martyrs who, since the Three Dynasties, have opened up the land and established Huaxia!” At this point, Gongsun Xun finally sighed with deep feeling. “For the words I speak today are precisely meant to be spread to the four seas and all under heaven through the mouths of all you lords. It is precisely as the saying goes: the Mandate of Heaven is fulfilled by man, therefore man’s determination can overcome Heaven! Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Yan—the altars of the mountains and rivers, the state and its sacred soil, have been passed down in one unbroken line. What sustains them is that in times of chaos and disorder, there are always heroes and gallant men who rise up with swinging arms, heedless of sacrifice… My lords, ‘Bitter sacrifice strengthens the will to dare to change the sun and moon for a new sky.’ Today, I do not bow to the Han Emperor, but only to the scholars and commoners of the realm; I do not sacrifice to Heaven and Earth, but only to the heroic spirits! That is all!”

With these words finished, he directly stepped aside two paces, faced the altar below, and made a grand, deep bow of obeisance. Then he calmly straightened up, returned before Shi Xie—whose hands had long been trembling—removed his own ducal crown, and then himself took up the imperial crown and placed it upon his topknot, securing it with a jade hairpin. Only then, leaning on his blade and shaking out his sleeves, did he stand fully upright.

Shi Xie hastily withdrew, holding the old crown and scrambling away. Seeing this, from Lü Fan and the other three on down, including the abdicated Liu Xie, all the civil and military officials on and below the altar fell completely to their knees, crying out “Long live the Emperor!” The wave of sound spread from near to far, from the altar top to the altar base, and then to the tens of thousands of soldiers all around! It surged back and forth unceasingly, rolling and tumbling between the mountain ranges and city walls, the blue sky and the yellow earth!

A short while later, the ceremony was complete for all. Only after a long time did the wave of sound finally subside, and the Yan Emperor, Gongsun Xun, summoned Sima Yi and other close attendants forward to prepare to assist him in the sacrifices.

Turning around, he came before the sacrificial platform at the very center of the altar. His heart now completely at ease, this ruffian from Liaoxi once again violated the rites. Without waiting for the sacrificial preparations to be finished, he abruptly snatched a cup of freshly poured wine from Sima Yi’s hands, directly sprinkled it upon the ground, and then raised the empty cup to the north, ready to call out: “O souls, please partake!”

Yet before he could speak, this Liaoxi boor suddenly realized that from this high vantage point, through a gap in the Mangshan range to the north, he could faintly glimpse a thread of white twisting through the Black Mountains… There was no doubt — that was the Great River churning past from beyond!

In that instant, the Great Yan Emperor, his mind adrift, almost instinctively recalled the opening lines of that so-called story he had heard from his mother’s lips as a teenager. Those lines, applied to this moment, fit neither the place, the time, nor the mood — yet for some reason, he could not help but murmur them aloud under his breath.

As the saying goes:

On and on the Long River flows eastward, its waves washing away all heroes.

Right and wrong, success and failure — turn your head and they are empty.

The green hills still remain; how many times has the setting sun glowed red?

White-haired fishermen and woodcutters on the river isles, accustomed to watching the autumn moon and spring breeze.

A jug of cloudy wine — what joy to meet by chance.

So many affairs, ancient and modern, all consigned to laughter and talk.

The verse finished, he then sighed with release: “O soul, come and feast!”

———————I am the dividing line of “O soul, come and feast”———————

“Your servant Songzhi notes: The August Emperor, Grand Ancestor Wu, possessed the gifts of brilliant intelligence and divine might, embraced the ambition to succor the age and pacify the people, seized the moment and rode the tide of fortune, with heroes flocking to follow him, quelled chaos and crushed the mighty, and in ten years achieved the imperial enterprise. Rising from humble origins, he brought peace to all within the seas, surpassing even Gaozu of the Former Han. And in his correction of the Han’s lax governance, while inheriting the Han’s unity, he also resembled Guangwu of the Later Han. Only because he obtained all under heaven righteously, seizing the territory by his own hand, is it thus called a restoration!” — Dianlüe, Yan, annotated by Pei Songzhi

The whole book is finished.

(This chapter is finished)