Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 30: The Xun family of Yingchuan has fallen into my trap!

Outside Luoyang City, two teams of carriages and horses drove to the west gate at the same time.

It was common to see carriages and horses meeting outside the city gate, and who entered the city first was often determined by the other party's status.

The basis of identity is the flags hung on the carriages and the specifications and levels of the carriages. But strangely, neither team of carriages hung any flags, and the specifications and levels of the carriages seemed to be very similar, all at the level of ordinary scholars.

In one of the teams of carriages, an old man lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the gatekeeper at the city gate with a frown. Although he entered the capital in a low-key manner this time, his servant should have held the business card of the Yingchuan Xun family to show his identity to the gatekeeper. With the gatekeeper's shrewdness, he should not be blocked here by an ordinary scholar's carriage.

Could it be that there are other people entering Beijing in a low-key manner?
Those legendary stories about the children of noble families being arrogant and presumptuous in the capital Luoyang and provoking someone they couldn't afford to offend, but then getting slapped in the face, are almost non-existent. Whenever the children of noble families come to the capital, they will be repeatedly warned not to cause trouble.

It is okay to break the law because the family can use their connections to rescue them.

But if you offend the wrong person, your entire family might be ruined.

In another team of carriages, there was also an old man and a young man without a hat sitting opposite each other. The young man lifted the curtain and looked at the city gate officer, also a little puzzled.

"Although we didn't raise any flags, we were using the carriages of the scholars of the Wujun Gu family, but the business card belonged to the teacher. How could this gatekeeper not even let us enter the city first?"

The old man glanced at the young man and patted him lightly on the head.

"Yuan Tan, it's just a matter of who enters the city first. I've been hiding in Wu County for six years. Why would I need a moment to do that? Why not give way to him?"

The young man was stunned, then suddenly understood.

He thought that the teacher was teaching him to be magnanimous and not to be arrogant, but the old man glanced at the expression on the boy's face and slapped him on the head again in annoyance.

"You are just like me when I was young. You are inflexible and boring."

The old man's face revealed a hint of disdain for his disciple, but the curve of his lips betrayed his true thoughts.

Who doesn’t like a disciple who looks just like himself when he was younger?

"The capital is overflowing with relatives and ex-consorts, and officials with a thousand-stone rank are worth less than dogs. Perhaps those sitting in that procession of carriages and horses are the relatives of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers? Is it worth offending a high-ranking official with a two-thousand-stone rank, or even a Three Duke, before even entering Luoyang, just to enter the city first?"

The old man sighed and said with emotion, "Back then, I was a little too proud of my talent. Otherwise, why would I have ended up in exile in Wu County? If it weren't for the Crown Prince's wisdom, I might have died of old age in Wu County."

The young man nodded, not quite understanding. He didn't understand why his teacher taught him to be upright and not be intimidated by the powerful, but also taught him not to offend the powerful. Wasn't this contradictory?
The old man shook his head. He understood that the boy's experience was not enough for him to understand the truth in his words. Just like when he was young, he would not listen to anyone's advice.

If the young man had not followed him from Wujun to the capital Luoyang, it would not have been a problem. However, in Luoyang City, the young man did not have an uncle, the Weiwei, to protect him like he did in the past.

That would really destroy the family and the clan!
It’s a pity that he didn’t understand this truth until he was in his fifties.

Just as the old man was sighing, the team of carriages and horses obeyed his orders and prepared to move to the side of the road to make way, but unexpectedly, an extremely luxurious carriage drove out of the city gate, with pairs of flags, heavy armor and majestic ceremonial guards.

The old men in the two teams of carriages lifted the curtains at the same time and looked towards the noisy city gate. They were shocked to see the carriage pulled by six horses, with a jade chariot and a golden saddle.

The emperor is driven by six horses, and the jade chariot with golden saddle is also the emperor's etiquette. This is not a chariot, but a carriage.

However, the size of this carriage seems to be smaller than that of the emperor, and there are no female riders as ceremonial guards, so it is not difficult to guess who is sitting in this carriage.

It’s actually His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!

Just as the two old men were stunned, Liu Bian got off the carriage with the help of the prince's servant Dong Zhao. The city gate officials, garrison soldiers, and a group of passing scholars and civilians saluted the prince, and all the people in the two carriages also got off and saluted.

Liu Bian waved his hand, and Gao Wang shouted on behalf of the prince: "Stand up!" The common people did not know the etiquette, but when they saw the scholars standing up one after another, they followed suit.

Zhao Yan, the captain of the city gate, hurried to meet the prince. When he saw the people accompanying Liu Bian, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Although he didn't dare to say that he knew all the officials in the Prince's Mansion, he had basically met them all.

Be nice!

The prince's household steward Jia Xu, the prince's chief guard Cheng Yu, the prince's servant Dong Zhao, the prince's middle sons Zhong Yao, Zhang Zhao, and Zhang Hong, the prince's grooms Chen Lin and Qian Zhao, the prince's shield Dian Wei, the prince's guard Xu Chu, the prince's gate doctors Jian Yong and Xu Ding, and the prince's stable master Li Su were all accompanying him. Almost all the famous people in the prince's palace came out!

Who is this whole commotion for?
Although Zhao Yan did not know which celebrity the prince wanted to welcome, as Zhao Zhong's younger brother, he knew how to please the prince, so he took the initiative to support him.

"Your Highness, I, Zhao Yan, the captain of the city gates, greet you. I wonder if you are here to inspect the city defenses?"

Liu Bian glanced at the two teams of carriages and horses in front. Although he did not recognize the faces of the two people, he thought they should be among the two teams. Zhao Yan's supporting role was timely, giving him the opportunity to speak.

"I have come today to welcome the wise men to the capital!"

"Mr. Ciming of the Xun family of Yingchuan accepted my invitation and appointed him Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince. I sent messengers day and night to inquire about Mr. Ciming's whereabouts. I learned that he would enter the city today, so I personally went to the city gate to greet him."

"How could I have deserved such courtesy from the Crown Prince?"

Just as Liu Bian finished speaking, an old man walked towards the city gate, with red eyes, he bowed to Liu Bian and saluted, as if he was crying for the prince's courtesy.

"Lord Ciming is a great scholar of our time. No need to be so polite. In the future, I and Lord Ciming will still be one family."

Liu Bian spoke in a loud voice, as if he was afraid that the gentry and common people near the city gate could not hear him clearly.

Xun Shuang also heard many scholars whispering nearby. He didn't know if he was too sensitive or it was the truth, but he always felt that these scholars were mocking him for losing his integrity in his later years.

Even with Xun Shuang's skill in cultivating his qi, he couldn't help but think that the prince was cunning!

Before he could even decline the offer three times, the Crown Prince announced to the public that he would be appointed as the Crown Prince's Tutor, which clearly ruined his reputation completely and cut off his escape route.

This is even more true for the so-called "family". Although it is not stated explicitly, it is not difficult to guess the meaning. By then, the Xun family of Yingchuan will have no way out!
But he just couldn't refute it. In front of everyone, the prince personally came to the city gate to greet him, which was already a great honor for a national hero. Was he going to offend the prince in public?
If so, what he would get in return for refusing the prince's invitation would not be a good reputation but a bad reputation of being arrogant and conceited, as well as the prince's disgust. The Xun family of Yingchuan would fall into the abyss as a result.

"As expected, 'conspiring like Xiaowen, hegemonic like Shizong'. As long as I arrive in Luoyang, I will not give you any choice!"

"I'm afraid that even if I haven't arrived in Luoyang, the Crown Prince has other tricks to force me to submit."

Xun Shuang felt sad in his heart, but finally he had no choice but to obey.

At least the one he wanted to assist was not a foolish or tyrannical ruler, but a heroic ruler who had great potential to revive the Han Dynasty and who treated him with great courtesy!

"Your old minister, Xun Shuang, the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor, will definitely live up to the Crown Prince's kindness!"

Liu Bian was naturally overjoyed to receive Xun Shuang's public pledge of loyalty.

The Xun family of Yingchuan has fallen into my trap!

Then he quickly helped Xun Shuang up, and the scene of the monarch and his ministers getting along well with each other under the pen of the accompanying historian was once again.

(End of this chapter)