Taiheiki

Chapter 69 Inside Story
"Then wait until you catch me!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "Do you still want to talk?"

Lu Ping suppressed her anger and recounted the story: After Emperor Shun of Han, Liu Bao, died, his eldest son, the two-year-old Crown Prince Liu Bing, was enthroned as Emperor Chong of Han. However, Emperor Chong of Han also died the following year, in February 145 AD. Naturally, he could not have a son, so the question of choosing a successor arose. According to Eastern Han custom, the selection of a new emperor was to be decided after consultation between Empress Dowager Liang, General Liang Ji, and the three high officials representing the outer court. However, a disagreement arose between General Liang Ji, representing the imperial relatives, and Li Gu, the Grand Marshal, representing the executive branch of the outer court. Li Gu believed that the current situation was unstable and that an older, virtuous ruler should be chosen, just as Zhou Bo had enthroned Emperor Wen and Huo Guang had enthroned Emperor Xuan. He argued that greed for power should not lead to the appointment of a young ruler. Therefore, he recommended Liu Suan, Prince of Qinghe. However, General Liang Ji and the Empress Dowager chose Liu Zun (Emperor Zhi of Han), the eight-year-old son of Prince of Le'an.

However, this did not harm Li Gu's relationship with the Liang family. After all, Li Gu had been recommended by General Liang Shang (father of Liang Ji and Empress Dowager Liang), making him a former Liang family official. However, Emperor Zhi of Han did not last long on the throne; he was poisoned by Liang Ji shortly after ascending the throne. Liang Ji then summoned the Three Dukes, the Two Thousand Stone Officials, and the Marquises to discuss the successor. Li Gu, Hu Guang, Zhao Jie (the Three Dukes), and Grand Herald Du Qiao all suggested enthroning Liu Suan, Prince of Qinghe. However, Liang Ji wanted to enthronize Liu Zhi, Marquis of Liwu, but the others disagreed. Liang Ji was furious, but he had no other reason to change their minds.

After hearing that Liu Suan had not offered him a bribe during a previous visit, the eunuch Cao Teng went to Liang Ji at night to persuade him to make Liu Zhi emperor. The next day, during another meeting, Liang Ji was furious and his rhetoric was so intense that soldiers were hiding in the outer corridors. Officials from Hu Guang and Zhao Jie down were terrified. They all said, "Only the general will give the order." But Li Gu and Du Qiao persisted. Liang Ji loudly declared the meeting adjourned. However, Li Gu, still believing that Liu Suan was the popular choice, wrote another letter to Liang Ji, further angering him. He then persuaded the empress dowager to first remove Li Gu from office. Ultimately, Liu Zhi was enthroned as emperor (Emperor Huan of Han).

"So, this Qinghe King Liu Suan really isn't destined to be an emperor!" Hearing this, Wei Cong laughed. "But he's lucky to still be alive after failing twice in his bid for the throne. If I were him, I would have passed the throne to my son and found a place to live in seclusion to avoid disaster. He actually dares to act like this, he really thinks his life is too long!"

Lu Ping's expression changed slightly when he heard Wei Cong's words. He sighed, "Although you may be ignorant, you are actually quite intelligent. It's true. Shortly after Liang Ji supported Liu Zhi to ascend the throne, he fabricated a false accusation: the evildoers Liu Wen and Liu Yu were trying to establish Liu Suan, the Prince of Qinghe, as emperor. In the end, although no concrete connection between Liu Suan and the two was established, he was still demoted to the Marquis of Weishi and exiled to Guiyang!"

"Since ancient times, the struggle for the throne has been like this: the winner ascends to heaven, the loser goes to hell. This Qinghe King Liu Suan has nothing to complain about, and the same is true in reverse. But he didn't die of illness on the way? It seems that the current emperor is truly a kind man!"

"No!" Lu Ping shook her head. "When Liu Suan learned he was being convicted, he immediately took poison and faked his death to escape!"

"That's more like it!" Wei Cong laughed, "But this Liu Suan is really good. He's been involved in such a big incident twice and he still managed to get out of it unscathed."

"That's nothing!" Lu Ping curled her lips. "He's a rare Taoist genius. Faking his own death and escaping from his shell are all inherent Taoist skills. He's just using an old trick again. In my opinion, he had already made preparations to escape after failure before he even competed for the throne!"

Wei Cong was taken aback by this, then burst into laughter. While the Taoist woman's words were harsh, they had truly hit the nail on the head with Taoism, a doctrine passed down from Laozi to Zhuangzi and then to Zhang Liang. Its essence can be summed up in one word: "Go." Laozi said the tongue is soft and the teeth are hard, but even if the teeth fall out, the tongue remains. Zhuangzi said the tortoise would rather live, dragging its tail in the mud than die and have its remains enshrined in a temple. Zhang Liang, one of the Three Heroes of the Early Han Dynasty, refused rewards after helping Liu Bang conquer the world, living a secluded life, seeking to avoid the whirlpool of power as much as possible. He even practiced fasting, cultivating his essence and cultivating tranquility. He died of illness not long after. Some say he didn't actually die of illness, but rather faked his own death to escape and become an immortal traveling with Chisongzi.

Taoists never advocate the idea of taking the righteous path or sacrificing one's life for righteousness. They believe in nothing is impossible, inaction is all that is possible, existence is everything, and everything is for the sake of existence. Honor, propriety, filial piety, and brotherly love—things held supreme by the world—are of no importance to Taoists. Consequently, Taoism has always produced many conspirators and counselors, and classics like the Yin Fu Jing are often considered strategies for governing the country through military tactics. Someone in Liu Suan's position would have committed suicide if they had the courage, or been sentenced to death if they didn't. However, they would not abandon their birthright of wealth and fame, hiding their identities and escaping into the wilderness. After all, for many, this could be far more painful than death itself.

"In my opinion, Liu Suan's defeat wasn't unfair!" Wei Cong laughed. "Others vying for the throne would risk everything and still find it insufficient. But he's already arranged his own escape route. Even palace figures like the eunuch Cao Teng are unwilling to let him go. There's no way he could possibly ascend to the throne!"

"You're right!" Lu Ping nodded. "The current emperor was able to win because he married Empress Dowager Liang's sister. Liu Suan, however, thought that having the support of court officials and literati was enough. He really thought things were too simple!"

"You've said so much, but you haven't gotten to the point yet. Why did Liu Suan want to harm Nie Zheng?" Wei Cong asked, "These two people have nothing to do with each other, and it's not easy for them to know each other. It can't be a personal vendetta, right?"

"Of course not!" Lu Ping smiled and said, "Liu Suan didn't just ask me to kill Nie Zheng. This is just the beginning. After all, Nie Zheng is famous in Yuzhang. Once something happens to him, at least the heroes from all over Yuzhang will come to pay tribute to him. If we seize an opportunity--" Having said that, she smiled, but stopped talking.

"Oh, so it seems this fellow has big plans!" Wei Cong smiled. "So he handed all this over to you, so what did he do?"

"He didn't say, but if my guess is correct, he should have gone to the four counties of southern Jing. From what I know, he's been very close to the Wuling Barbarians and many of the Shanyue chieftains in the south over the past two years. This riot has become so serious, it must be related to him!"

"Wuling barbarians? Shanyue Zongshuai?" Wei Cong's face darkened upon hearing this. If the Taoist woman's guess was correct, then the Qinghe King, who had missed the throne, was indeed plotting something grand. Because the political and economic center of the Eastern Han Empire remained in the northern Yellow River basin, historical records of the southern region during the late Eastern Han Dynasty are scarce. Wei Cong's time travel revealed that the Yangtze River basin, especially southern Jingzhou and Yuzhang Commandery south of the Yangtze River, was indeed sparsely populated and underdeveloped, though still significantly better than in the early Western Han Dynasty. Furthermore, a large population existed outside of official control, in the form of Shanyue, Zongshuai, and barbarians. More importantly, before the Grand Canal existed, north-south transportation was far less developed than it would be in later generations. By controlling a few key points, they could disrupt north-south transportation. By integrating local forces, they could leverage their geographical advantages to resist central government attacks and establish their own kingdom. This was later demonstrated by Sun Ce's secessionist rule of Jiangdong.

However, the vast majority of southern scholars and officials at the time hadn't grasped this. In their minds, the area south of the Yangtze River was still a sparsely populated, desolate, and rife with miasma, far from being a viable place for a powerful regime. Even if rebellion arose, it would crumble with the arrival of the "Chinese army." This was exemplified by the wars of the Han Dynasty, such as Xiang Yu's refusal to cross the Yangtze River to the east and the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu. Consequently, the southern scholars and officials generally lacked the ambition, as Zhou Yu and Sun Ce would over twenty years later, to "gather the people of Wu and Yue to gaze upon the borders of China and emulate the achievements of Qi Huan and Jin Wen." Whether this was coincidence or foresight is unclear. Liu Suan, Prince of Qinghe, seemed intent on integrating the forces of the south, isolated from the Eastern Han regime, for his own use. Previously, everyone, including Wei Cong himself, had been pessimistic about the outcome of this rebellion, centered around the Wuling barbarians. The rebels' best chance was merely favorable surrender terms. After all, the Han army possessed undeniable advantages in numbers, equipment, supplies, and commanders, while the rebels' only advantages lay in terrain and climate. However, Liu Suan's unique status would introduce an uncontrollable uncertainty into the conflict. After all, Li Mu, Bai Qi, Han Xin, and Lian Po ultimately fought to the death. This thought evoked a wave of insecurity in Wei Cong, as he felt himself an insider.

"Very good!" Wei Cong waved his hand, signaling Diwu Deng to come over. "Lu, I don't need to hand you over to Zhou, but you have Nie Zheng's bow, right? Give it to me first!"

"That's easy. The bow is in my hiding place. I can take you there to get it now!" Lu Ping said with a smile.

"No need, just tell me the location and I'll send someone to get it!" Wei Cong smiled and said, "To be honest, I'm still a little worried about you!"

Lu Ping could see the determination behind Wei Cong's smile and nodded. "Okay, go upstream along this stream. About five miles up the river you'll see a large bluestone. Next to the bluestone grows a large oak tree, much taller than the surrounding trees. There's a hole under the oak tree, and that's where I'll hide!"

"Very good! Arden, do you understand? You take a team and go there in person tomorrow morning to retrieve everything in the cave, especially the bow! Do you understand?"

"I've got it!" Diwu Deng responded. He looked at Lu Ping and asked, "So what should we do tonight?"

"We can only stay here for one night! There's a cave!" Wei Cong looked around and said, "Be careful of that leopard. Light a few more fires. It's much more powerful at night!"

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A long, drawn-out roar echoed through the pitch-black night. Wei Cong pulled himself to his feet, instinctively gripping the hilt of his sword. The entire camp, surrounded by him, was startled awake. Damn it, it must be that leopard, he thought.

The deep, long-drawn sound lingered in the darkness. The sentries by the fire gripped their weapons tightly, glancing nervously left and right, their breath condensing into mist on the night wind. As the roaring gradually subsided, even the night wind seemed to cease. The men sat up, picked up their spears and swords, held their breath, and listened intently, waiting for the next roar.

The unbearable silence stretched on for a long moment, yet no further sound rang out. Wei Cong let out a long breath, shook his head, and tossed a few sticks of dried wood from the nearby bonfire into the flames. He shook the dew off his cloak and prepared to go check on the sentries. Suddenly, a woman's voice rang from behind him: "You're scared now, so why not let me go? The price I offered you still stands: one thousand pieces of silk!"

Wei Cong stood up and adjusted the sword at his waist: "In your eyes, am I so short of money?"

"It's not a matter of being short of money!" Lu Ping laughed. "It's mainly because although Ali is very smart, he's still a beast after all. He's never been away from me for this long. I'm afraid he'll attack you. It's night time now, and you can't see him, but he can see everything! I'm doing this for your own good!"

"For our own good?" Wei Cong laughed. "Do you know how many people I brought with me? One hundred people. They have spears, bows and crossbows, swords, shields, and are protected by armor. They have received strict training and are standing by the campfire. Even at night, how many people can your leopard kill before being killed? Three? Five? Or ten? I'll count you as twenty! There are still eighty people left, enough to kill it! If I were you, I would let that cute guy leave here, the farther the better, otherwise it will die because of you sooner or later. Also, I know you have a lot of strange skills. But you must know that it is never your little gadgets that decide the major events in the world, but thousands of troops, billions of gold, and power. Otherwise, the one sitting on the throne should be your King Qinghe, not the current emperor!"

After hearing what Wei Cong said, Lu Ping fell silent. Wei Cong ignored him. He checked in the light of the fire to make sure that nothing important was left behind. He was about to go on patrol when a frustrated voice came from behind him: "You're right. If this goes on, Ali will be killed by me. Let me go to the campfire and I'll let it go!"

"My dear, be careful of this witch's tricks!" Diwu Deng objected. "You don't have to agree to her. We have twenty powerful crossbows. No matter how powerful that beast is, it's still flesh and blood!"

(End of this chapter)