Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 31 Luoshui is here, I will keep my promise!

"Please wait a moment, Lord Ciming. I have a wise man waiting to greet me."

Liu Bian looked towards the other team of carriages and horses with a smile. Although he didn't know the man, he would not make a mistake seeing the man with a weathered look and a certain elegance.

Xun Shuang frowned secretly. Although he didn't know who the other wise man the prince was talking about, he inexplicably felt a bit displeased with that person, as if someone had taken away the prince's favor for him, and also took away half of this opportunity to be a national hero.

"Mr. Bo Ji has traveled thousands of miles and has worked hard."

Liu Bian bowed to Cai Yong from a distance, and Cai Yong hurried over and bent his waist deeply.

"How dare I, a mere exiled criminal, trouble the Crown Prince to come?"

Unlike Xun Shuang, who has always been the leader of the ancient literature school and has the title of "great scholar", Cai Yong has not had a good life in recent years and has become accustomed to the warmth and coldness of human nature.

Because he wrote a letter to advise the emperor to ban eunuchs from interfering in government affairs, he was resented by the eunuchs Cao Jie and Cheng Huang and was exiled to Shuofang County. He was assassinated many times on the way. After he was finally pardoned by the emperor, he was once again framed by the eunuchs because he was unwilling to follow the advice of Wang Zhi, the prefect of Wuyuan and the younger brother of the eunuch Wang Fu. He was forced to flee to the rivers and seas and go to Wuhui.

When he was demoted and exiled, the eunuch Lu Qiang pleaded for him, Qiao Xuan also asked his cousin from the Qiao family of Wancheng to send him food and clothing many times, and there was also his close friend Yang Xu, who was unemployed at home due to the party imprisonment, and the Gu family of Wujun who provided him with shelter when he was living in Wujun. Apart from these people, no one else came to his aid.

It is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to send charcoal in the snow.

Cai Yong was also extremely grateful to those who had provided him with help in the past. Facing the prince, who directly changed his fate, pardoned him from a fugitive, recalled him to Luoyang and entrusted him with important tasks, Cai Yong no longer knew how to express his gratitude and emotion.

Moreover, the prince actually welcomed him as a national hero!
He originally thought that the only person the prince would welcome was Xun Shuang, the leader of the ancient literature school, but he didn't expect that he was also the person the prince would personally welcome at the city gate.

Compared to Xun Shuang's tears, which were not much more sincere than those of a crocodile, Liu Bian could feel the sorrow and emotion condensed in Cai Yong's tears personally.

"Duke Bo Ji, everything is over." Seeing Cai Yong crying so bitterly, Liu Bian couldn't help but feel a little emotional and spoke to comfort him.

Xun Shuang was originally somewhat displeased with the "wise man" mentioned by the other prince, but he did not expect that it was Cai Yong, a great Confucian scholar of the ancient literature school, who also spoke out to comfort his former friend.

However, Cai Yong also had a score to settle in his heart. His "good friend" Xun Shuang never said a word for him after he fell into trouble, and he didn't even send anyone to greet him.

"Come, get in the carriage and follow me back to the East Palace. I still have many things to ask Duke Ciming and Duke Boji."

Liu Bian pushed one of them with each hand and pushed them towards his prince's carriage. No matter how the two men refused, he refused to give up.

Finally, under Liu Bian's strong request, Xun Shuang and Cai Yong got on the carriage and sat in the same carriage with him.

The carriage was driven by the prince's servant Dong Zhao, while the prince's groomsman Chen Lin, Qian Zhao and the guards of the prince's palace shouted loudly, informing the whole city that the prince had come to the city gate to welcome Xun Shuang and Cai Yong to enter the city in the prince's carriage. They even made a big circle in Luoyang City, which was quite like the scene when a fisherman caught a big fish. It took a full hour and a half before they finally drove the carriage into the East Palace.

Afterwards, Liu Bian formally appointed Xun Shuang as the Prince's Junior Tutor and Minister of the Chancellery, and appointed Cai Yong as the Governor of Xuzhou, with the power of General Jie, to supervise the officials of Xuzhou. He also gave two mansions to Xun Shuang and Cai Yong, and had already arranged servants and maids in the two mansions, taking care of their food, clothing and daily life. Cai Yong was even more surprised to find that the two daughters that Yang Xu had helped to raise were already waiting in the mansions arranged by the prince.

After settling these two famous scholars from the country, Liu Bian returned to Yong'an Palace tiredly.

"Wenhe, you've done a great job on this mission. If you want any reward, just ask."

Liu Bian was in a good mood, not only because he had gained the loyalty of these two famous scholars, but also because of his courtesy to Xun Shuang and Cai Yong, his reputation for kindness and virtue was further spread.

And Jia Xu’s contribution was one of them.

The Embroidered Robe Envoy was appointed by Emperor Xiaowu. He wore embroidered robes, held a staff and a tiger talisman, and patrolled everywhere. If he found any illegal problems, he could act on behalf of the emperor.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, the power of the Embroidered Uniform Envoys was enormous. They had the power to "punish traitors," "administer prisons," and "capture thieves." They could supervise officials and relatives for extravagance, violations of regulations, and illegal activities. Even Crown Prince Liu Ju was forced to rebel by the Embroidered Uniform Envoys.

During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, the power of the Embroidered Uniform Envoy was greatly weakened, leaving only the power to "catch thieves". During the reign of Emperor Liu Hong, due to the existence of the Ten Eunuchs, the Embroidered Uniform Envoy was directly abolished. Of course, it was not really abolished.

It should be said that Liu Hong abolished the Embroidered Uniform Envoys in name, but handed them over to Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, the heads of the Ten Attendants, and ordered them to supervise the local areas.

After Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong surrendered to Liu Bian, this group of people naturally fell into his hands.

Otherwise, even if Jia Xu was a genius, it would be impossible for him to gather a team in two months that could detect Xun Shuang who quietly entered the capital while monitoring the local areas, and Cai Yong who entered the capital in a low-key manner under the name of the Wujun Gu family.

After receiving the report from his subordinates, Jia Xu, the Embroidered Uniform Censor, proposed to Liu Bian a plan to personally go to the city gate to welcome Xun Shuang and Cai Yong and announce it to the whole city.

"I have no other request but to ask the Crown Prince to relieve me of my position as the Imperial Censor of Embroidered Uniforms."

Jia Xu knelt on the ground, buried his head in his arms, like a timid ostrich.

If it were someone else, they might really think so.

But Liu Bian knew clearly that Jia Xu was a poisonous snake.

In the past, many people classified Jia Xu and Chen Ping as the same type of people, but in Liu Bian's view, the two were completely different.

Looking at Jia Xu who was still kneeling and did not dare to stand up without hearing Liu Bian's order, and looking at his bent back, Liu Bian remained silent.

Both Chen Ping and Jia Xu are poisonous snakes, but Chen Ping is a more power-hungry snake who will use his fangs to eliminate those who stand in his way in his official career.

But Jia Xu is a poisonous snake that hides its fangs and never sticks out its tongue, wishing to hibernate safely in a cave all year round.

However, once someone disturbs his sleep, the snake will spit out venom that kills instantly.

"I know what you're afraid of. You're afraid of dying a bad death, right?"

Liu Bian's words were very straightforward. He understood that when facing a smart man like Jia Xu, it would not work to talk around the issue or be perfunctory. It would be better to be honest with him.

"I don't dare."

Although Jia Xu said that he dared not, what he was thinking about was the ending of the Embroidered Uniform Censors of past dynasties. During the Han Dynasty, the Embroidered Uniform Censors and cruel officials were tools used by the emperor and the gentry to fight for power. How many of them had a good ending?
Moreover, he understood that such a talented and ambitious prince could not have regarded the Embroidered Uniform Envoy as just an ordinary supervisory agency, but rather as a black glove that could frame the prince and deal with his political enemies.

In fact, Liu Bian did intend to do so, otherwise why would he need the vicious Jia Xu to serve as the Embroidered Uniform Censor?
Now, only Jia Xu can control the Prince's retainers under his command.
"If a meritorious official cannot escape unscathed, how can Liu Bian stand before the world?"

"If I were the emperor, Wenhe would be one of the Three Dukes!"

Liu Bian pulled Jia Xu up and walked out of the palace gate, pointing to the south and saying, "The Luo River is here. I will not break my promise!"

　There are two relatively famous "Oaths of Luoshui" in Chinese history. The most famous one is the time when Sima Laozhi pointed at Luoshui and farted. But before that, it was the example of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu who made the "Oath of Luoshui" famous and gave Sima Laozhi's "Oath of Luoshui" credibility.

　　In 25 AD, when Liu Xiu attacked Luoyang, he chose to persuade Zhu Yu to surrender.

　　Zhu Yu and Li Yi had once instigated Emperor Gengshi Liu Xuan to capture and kill Liu Xiu's brother Liu Yan, so he did not dare to surrender.

　　So Liu Xiu pointed at the Luo River and swore, promising that as long as Zhu Yu surrendered, he would forgive his past mistakes and keep his title. After Zhu Yu surrendered, Liu Xiu kept his promise and appointed Zhu Yu as General Pingdi, conferred him the title of Marquis of Fugu, and later promoted him to Shaofu.

　　The Luo River holds such credibility because it enjoyed a near-mother river status during the feudal era. Fuxi encountered a dragon horse in the Luo River and developed the Eight Trigrams, while Dayu encountered a dragon turtle in the Luo River and obtained the Luoshu. The Luo River is considered one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)