Chapter 248: You

"Taken away by someone under my command?"

But before daybreak, Diwu Lun's men were still jogging toward the capital — how could they have entered the city ahead of time to take Liu the Young Prince away? Even less likely was taking him without reporting it.

Unless someone arranged for old contacts inside to act on their own authority!

Diwu Lun shot a reflexive glance at a certain person. Feng Yan was not far behind him. Catching Diwu Lun's look, he immediately tumbled from the saddle, ran up to Diwu Lun's carriage, and prostrated himself, his face crumpling as he said, "My lord, this affair was absolutely not your servant's doing."

A confession without being accused? Protesting too much?

Before Diwu Lun had revealed his ambitions, Feng Yan had indeed proposed ideas like "install the Young Prince Ying to match ritual standing with the Gengshi Emperor in Nanyang." But once he knew that his lord wanted a Tang-Wu revolution, Feng Yan had begun adjusting his thinking, consoling himself thus:

"If my lord sets up a Han emperor and makes himself Han Chancellor, then at most I would serve beneath him as an Imperial Counselor."

"But if my lord establishes himself, using the righteous renown of driving out Wang Mang to truly build momentum, even if he only carves out a corner of the realm, when the time comes to become emperor or king, I might well become Chancellor."

This was indeed a harder road, but for those of them who had pledged allegiance earliest, the rewards would also be greater. If they could truly pioneer a new enterprise, it stirred the heart of a political strategist like him far more than "restoring the House of Han" ever could.

Thinking this way, Feng Yan cast his family's "former general's" loyalty to the Han dynasty to the back of his mind. He wrote proclamations for Diwu Lun and risked himself to persuade Shi Chen to surrender — all to accumulate merit for himself.

Now some heaven-cursed clever fellow had taken the Young Prince Ying away ahead of time and impersonated Diwu Lun's subordinates. Feng Yan truly could not wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River. He knew that anyone who wanted to restore the Han was a potential enemy of Diwu Lun, so he could only point to his heart and swear a venomous oath.

"Jingtong, you misunderstand."

Diwu Lun smiled and helped him up. "I looked at you, Jingtong, because I wanted you to think for me — who exactly would be so bold as to take advantage of the chaos and do this?"

Feng Yan blurted out at once, "The magnates north of the Wei!"

It was laughable, really. The marquises who had violated the covenant to "endure with the dynasty" over a decade ago now suddenly recalled the virtues of the Han. Among them, Marquis of Xiaoxiang, Xiao Yan, was the most eager, but they had only just crossed the Wei and had no opportunity to act.

"And the city's surviving elders!"

Feng Yan, remnant scion of the great Han, truly knew there were a few old fellows in the city. Wang Mang was a good man — ruthless only to his own sons and grandsons, yet exceedingly lenient toward those who merely clamored about restoring the Han. As long as they did not actually rebel, he generally did not kill them. Back when someone urged him to abdicate, Wang Mang merely exiled him to Cangwu, which was already considered an extremely severe punishment.

At this point, someone proposed, "My lord, why not conduct a sweeping search of the entire city? He must be found!"

Wan Xiu, however, objected. "The Grand General has just issued the Five-Article Covenant forbidding the violation of the common people. Now to suddenly conduct a sweeping search — would that not give the soldiers and those with ulterior motives a chance to loot? Back when Wang Mang went out on procession, he would always search across the city. How can we imitate that?"

He said to Diwu Lun, "Your servant believes that the trouble caused by a sweeping search for Liu the Young Prince would exceed the harm of the man himself."

Feng Yan added, "Indeed. Many commoners in the market wards know only of Emperor Cheng of Han's posthumous son, Liu Ziyu, and have no idea about Liu the Young Prince. If we search on a grand scale, we will instead make him known to everyone."

Diwu Lun nodded. They had just passed the eastern and western markets of Chang'an. Recalling the past, in peacetime, horses and sheep had whinnied, carts had come and gone — it was always bustling, and from over a dozen li away one could hear the sounds rising from the markets. When the evening market had just dispersed, merchants would bow their heads counting the day's earnings, and servants would drive geese and carry meat on their way home — a glimpse that revealed the prosperity.

Yet today it was utterly desolate. The peddlers who had still been barely surviving after Wang Mang's ravages were nowhere to be seen today. Without them transporting grain and vegetables into the city, the daily food supply for the city's several hundred thousand people would face a major crisis.

Order must be restored as quickly as possible. The covenant had been established and must be upheld. To go back on one's word for the minor sub-question of Liu the Young Prince and get the first major question on the exam paper wrong — the loss would outweigh the gain.

Moreover, the incident had occurred over a shichen ago. In that time, at least ten thousand people had fled the city. If he wanted to run, he would have long since run.

The most urgent matter now was for the ten thousand-plus soldiers who had entered the city to immediately suppress the Xin troops and ruffians taking advantage of the chaos, and to extinguish the flames rising everywhere. And Diwu Lun himself had to enter the palace to retrieve one item.

They had already reached Hengmen Avenue. Continuing south would bring them to the Dark Warrior Gate and the Azure Dragon Watchtower of the Shoucheng Chamber.

Yet on the plaza before the northern watchtower, a group of people stood in orderly ranks, blocking Diwu Lun's procession.

At their head was the former dynasty's Left General, Gongsun Lu. He was already over eighty years old and had once been a political enemy of Wang Mang. After the Xin Dynasty was established, Gongsun Lu had never stopped cursing Wang Mang, but Wang Mang had always tolerated him and honored him as an Elder of the State.

Gongsun Lu had even told Wang Mang that if he wanted peace under heaven, he should first slaughter Liu Xin, Chen Chong, Cui Fa, and the rest — which greatly shamed Wang Mang, yet Wang Mang only had him thrown out and still did not kill him.

Now that Wang Mang had fled, Gongsun Lu was again leaping about. This old fellow feared neither trouble nor death. Leading a group of remnant elders who had never served in the Xin Dynasty, he blocked Diwu Lun's army, cupped his hands in salute, and declared loudly:

"General Diwu, in your proclamation you expressed the wish to follow Heaven and obey the people. Having driven out Wang Mang, you have rendered great service to the altars of the realm. But now, General, do you intend to enter the palace first?"

Toward an elder, Diwu Lun still showed respect. He cupped his hands from atop the carriage. "What should be done instead? I beg Elder Gongsun for his instruction."

Gongsun Lu stroked his beard and said, "You should register the officials and populace, and seal the treasuries and storehouses."

Diwu Lun smiled. "That is indeed correct. My purpose in entering the palace this time is precisely to collect the registers of the Nine Ministers in order to register the officials and populace, and to lead troops to secure the Privy Treasury, the Yellow Gate, the Imperial Parks, the Storehouses, the Palace Workshops, and other such places in order to seal the treasuries and storehouses."

As he spoke, he was about to have his soldiers push aside this group of old fellows and continue forward.

But Gongsun Lu leaned on his pigeon-head staff and declared with pained earnestness, "The General misunderstands. Registering the officials and populace and sealing the treasuries and storehouses is to await the true master of this palace!"

At this moment, that white-haired old fool truly resembled an old watchdog guarding the house for its old master, barking and snarling at Diwu Lun, who wished to enter without permission.

"Before that, the General should hasten to pay homage at the High Temple, declare himself a subject, and perform the sacrifices!"

"Declare myself a subject?" Diwu Lun had been standing perfectly straight on the carriage all along. He smiled. "To whom?"

"To the High Emperor! To the great Han!" Gongsun Lu cupped his hands toward the direction of the High Temple.

Diwu Lun did not answer. He looked left and right, then glanced behind him. Wan Xiu and the others also laughed together. "The Han dynastic altars fell over a decade ago. Where are they now?"

"In the hearts of the people!" Gongsun Lu beat his own chest. "Wang Mang usurped and rebelled. The House of Han alone is the legitimate line. Now everyone longs for it, which is why the General was able to enter Chang'an so easily. Though the General has never eaten the salary of the Han, since you have received its virtuous bounty, you are a Han subject!"

What kind of logic was that? The old fellow's spittle flew as he summoned the soul of the Han. Diwu Lun merely glanced at Feng Yan beside him, and the dog-headed advisor understood at once.

A dog-headed advisor like Feng Yan needed to be kicked in the backside from behind at any moment to be of any use.

One proclamation was not enough. To draw a clear line between himself and the Han restorationists, it would depend on today's performance.

Left with no choice, Feng Yan burst into loud laughter. "Gongsun Lu, you keep the Han dynasty on your lips and in your heart. Do you truly believe you are a loyal subject of the Han?"

How was he not? When Emperor Ai of Han passed away and Wang Mang entered the court, Gongsun Lu had argued that during the reigns of Emperor Hui and Emperor Zhao, the maternal relatives Lü and Huo had seized power and nearly endangered the altars. Now with a young sovereign ruling the state, it was inappropriate to let maternal relatives hold the reins of government. So he and his colleagues had voted for each other in the election for Grand Marshal, forgetting that the matter was subject to Wang Zhengjun's single-vote veto. They were also impeached by Wang Mang for mutual recommendation and were all dismissed from office and driven from power.

Now, with Wang Mang fleeing, this episode in his career had become Gongsun Lu's political capital. He styled himself the leader of the Han restoration faction in Chang'an. As soon as Diwu Lun entered the city, he could not wait to bring a group of people forward, wanting to press down on this warlord's head and force him to join them as Han subjects.

Feng Yan, however, was unimpressed and shook his head. "Zhai Yi and Liu Chong were indeed loyal subjects of the Han. When Wang Mang's intention to replace the House of Han had only just shown its first signs, those two raised troops and rebelled, and in the end they died and their clans were exterminated. At that time, you gentlemen were in Chang'an, occupying high positions, yet you cowered and held back, offering no response."

"After Wang Mang usurped the Han, you gentlemen could have emulated Xuan Bing of Changling and others — refusing Xin salaries and living in reclusion as Bo Yi and Shu Qi did. Yet you gentlemen continued to idle in comfort in Chang'an, content to be wealthy householders, cheerfully accepting whatever Wang Mang bestowed."

"Later, there were indeed descendants of the Liu Han who raised troops against Wang Mang in Nanyang and elsewhere. Yet you gentlemen sat waiting all along — what action did you ever take? As far as I know, at that time Gongsun Lu even proposed to Wang Mang that he make peace with the Xiongnu in order to exterminate the domestic bandits — wholly devoted to the Xin's interests."

"For over twenty years, you gentlemen neither died as martyrs for the Han, nor raised righteous banners, and even found reclusion too arduous. Today the Grand General Diwu, by Heaven's mandate, punishes the tyrant. His soldiers risked their lives to cut through brambles and cross the Ba River, sending Wang Mang fleeing in panic. Yet now you gentlemen suddenly emerge, styling yourselves loyal subjects of the Han — is that not absurd?"

Wang Mang had botched the founding of his state, and now the establishment figures who back then had felt their scalps itch and the water too cold wanted to come out and steal the fruits of victory?

Had it not been for the incompetence of these people over a decade ago, how could Wang Mang have ascended to power under the gaze of the multitude?

Gongsun Lu was thoroughly enraged by Feng Yan's speech, but he was not so shameless as to claim he had preserved his useful body to restore the Han by a winding path. He merely leaned on his staff and cursed Feng Yan for forgetting his ancestors. "If you die, what face will you have to meet your forefathers Feng Fengshi and Feng Yewang?"

Feng Yan simply ignored him and said to Diwu Lun, "Grand General, in my view, they are nothing but creatures who hide their bodies and shrink their heads, scraping by for food and clothing. How dare they prate of Heaven's mandate before the Grand General? Better to drive this lot away!"

Diwu Lun nodded, but the order he gave made Feng Yan jump in fright. "I have already issued the Five-Article Covenant and promulgated prohibitions. Leaving one's home without cause is forbidden. These people gathering in a crowd here obstructs peace and stability. Arrest them all!"

Soldiers fierce as wolves and tigers immediately advanced from both flanks and seized Gongsun Lu and his companions. They continued to shout furious curses, but when it came to cursing Diwu Lun, they suddenly choked.

"Diwu Lun, you… you!"

Curse Diwu Lun as a traitorous villain who betrayed the Han? He was never a Han subject — clean and spotless. His ancestor Tian Heng even bore a blood feud against the Liu clan. Truly unassailable.

Curse him as a rebel traitor to the Xin? Diwu Lun was the foremost hero in driving out Wang Mang, and men like Gongsun Lu do not even recognize the Xin Dynasty's legitimacy. If it was never legitimate, what crime is there in rebelling against it?

For a moment, they truly could not pin any grand charge of violating sovereign-minister ritual and righteousness onto Diwu Lun. Gongsun Lu could only curse him for disrespecting his elders and harboring greedy, base ambitions — forgetting that he himself had walked right into the line of fire.

Diwu Lun ignored them completely and only called out Feng Yan's name: "Jingtong, I leave these men to you for interrogation."

Diwu Lun had reason to suspect that the child Liu was taken away by Gongsun Lu and his faction, but these blockheads were unlikely to be clever enough to act under Diwu Lun's name. Yet even if they were wrongfully accused, every one of these men owned vast fields and grand mansions — something could always be squeezed out of them.

Diwu Lun was nothing like Wang Mang, who harbored illusions of mercy toward hostile forces that were hard to subdue.

You refuse to join my cause, and you refuse to die. This puts Diwu Lun in a very difficult position.

He said in a low voice to his trusted aides: "Since you are so wholeheartedly devoted to the Han, then give the old General Gongsun a dignified end — send him to meet the eleven former emperors of the Han!"

With this order given, Feng Yan could only steel himself and carry it out, making a clean break with the Han restorationists. When Diwu Lun turned back, he saw that after Gongsun Lu and the others were successively dragged away, the faces of the Xin Dynasty officials, high and low, who had surrendered to him shifted from worry to joy — many secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Gongsun Lu and his ilk saw themselves as "Han," which made the State General Zhao Hong and others who had supported Wang Mang "traitors." The most diehard traitors had fled with Wang Mang; if those men had seized power, the second-tier traitors would also have been purged. Now, observing Diwu Lun's conduct, as long as he remained in Chang'an, the Han restoration faction would absolutely be unable to rise, and for the time being, their lives were not in danger.

This journey into Chang'an presented Diwu Lun with many challenges, involving the hearts of the common people, the hearts of the scholar-officials, and the hearts of the army.

The hearts of the common people could only be won through hard effort. Although Diwu Lun marched under the banner of pacifying the people, as the one who had shattered the order, the declining standard of living in Chang'an would see all resentment heaped upon his head. Once an age of chaos began, with transport and trade severed, sustaining such an enormous city would become nearly impossible — even doing better than Wang Mang had become a difficult task.

And as for the hearts of the scholar-officials — if they were all these leftover elders and remnants of the Former Han, then Diwu Lun could well do without them.

What he absolutely had to secure was the hearts of the army. Now that Chang'an had been entered, rewarding the tens of thousands of soldiers was an urgent matter — otherwise, discontent and mutiny could erupt at any moment!

Diwu Lun could not conjure gold and silk out of thin air, but Shoucheng Hall was full of them! To him, this was far more important than any child Liu or the Yellow Emperor's Princess.

"Enter the palace!"

The great gates of the Northern Watchtower's Xuanwu Gate slowly swung open before Diwu Lun!

……

PS: Tomorrow's update will be at 13:00.