Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 325 The Scraping Soup Marquis

Inside the Yuntai Pavilion, the fragrance of incense wafted through the air, yet it could not dispel the tension and solemnity in Liu Fu's heart.
Liu Fu kept in mind the repeated teachings of his elders, keeping his head down and his gaze fixed on the area three inches in front of his toes, not daring to overstep his bounds and look directly at the throne.

Even though the emperor ordered him to excuse himself from formalities and take a seat, Liu Fu still only sat cautiously on the edge of the folding chair, his muscles tensing involuntarily, and his peripheral vision could only catch a glimpse of the red robe behind the imperial desk.

Looking at the young man whose posture was so respectful that he was almost stiff, Liu Bian couldn't help but smile. He waved his hand casually, indicating that he didn't need to be too reserved, and said in a gentle tone, "There's no need to be so reserved. I don't like those rigid formalities. After reading your answers to the policy questions today, I was pleasantly surprised. Therefore, I couldn't wait until the day after tomorrow and summoned Yuan Ying to meet me alone."

Liu Fu was well aware that this sudden private audience was an immense favor, almost foreshadowing the beginning of his meteoric rise in his official career.

I understand the reasoning, but I still find it hard to calm my emotions.

On their first audience with the emperor, especially when meeting him alone with the supreme ruler of the Han Empire, who could truly remain calm and composed?

Seeing that Liu Fu remained tense, Liu Bian did not directly switch to the topic of flood control. Instead, he changed the subject and chatted casually about Liu Fu's hobbies, the kinds of classics he read, and then mentioned his background, saying, "I heard that Yuan Ying is from Xiang County, Pei State? Is he a descendant of that... um... 'Marquis of Guagen'?"

The question was abrupt, and the tone even carried a hint of mockery.

Pei State was the birthplace of the Han Dynasty. Although its capital, Xiang County, was 130 li away from Pei County, the hometown of Emperor Gaozu, over the past four hundred years, most of the Liu family members in Pei State were descendants of Emperor Gaozu.

Being related to the imperial clan is not unusual, but the title "Marquis of Guagen" is so unique that it is unforgettable.

Liu Fu was slightly taken aback, completely unprepared for the Emperor to suddenly bring up this old matter that was somewhat embarrassing for his family. His lips twitched slightly, and he quickly corrected himself, "Your Majesty, I am indeed the nineteenth generation descendant of my ancestor, however... my ancestor was not 'Marquis of Guagen' (刮羹侯), but Emperor Taizu Gao actually bestowed upon him the title of 'Marquis of Lufu' (轑釜侯)." (Note 1)

Liu Bian's eyes gleamed with even more mischief as he asked, "What's the difference?"

轑 means to scrape.

The cauldron is also a pot!

The meaning of "轑釜侯" is "刮锅侯" (Guaguo Hou).
The first "Marquis of Luofu" was named Liu Xin. He was not the son of Emperor Gaozu, but the eldest brother of Emperor Gaozu, and the son of Liu Bo, the King of Wu'ai.

As the son of Liu Bo, the eldest brother most respected by Emperor Taizu Gao, he should have been favored by Emperor Taizu Gao.

However, his title of Marquis was not so elegant, and there was naturally an absurd reason for it.

Liu Bo died young. Before Emperor Taizu Gao raised an army to rebel against the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, he led a group of friends and guests to Liu Bo's house for refuge and food.

The eldest sister-in-law disliked Emperor Taizu Gao. When she saw him coming, she would scrape the edge of the pot with a spoon to make a sound, pretending that she had finished eating all the soup and rice.

The guests believed it and left, but Emperor Gaozu found the pot full of soup and rice, and thus deeply resented his elder sister-in-law.

Even when Emperor Taizu Gao unified the country and bestowed titles upon members of the imperial clan and meritorious officials, he was slow to bestow titles upon this nephew.

The eldest sister-in-law repeatedly requested Emperor Gaozu to grant Liu Xin the title of marquis, but was refused each time. None of the founding heroes from Pei County pleaded for him on his behalf.

After all, it was these fellow villagers from Pei County who were humiliated back then because their elder sister-in-law scraped the pot and left the table.

In the end, it was only out of pity for Liu Xin, who had lost his father at a young age and could not be granted a title, that Emperor Gaozu reluctantly granted him a title, but deliberately used this extremely humiliating title.

The eldest sister-in-law did not mind, but was only happy that her son had been granted a title.

However, after Emperor Gaozu passed away, Empress Gao ruled as regent.

Empress Gao had also been humiliated by her elder sister-in-law many times in the past. Therefore, in the first year of her regency, the Minister of Justice found Liu Xin guilty and stripped him of his title, demoting him to the non-hereditary title of Marquis of Guannei.

To avoid giving others cause for criticism, Empress Gao posthumously honored Liu Bo, who had been posthumously granted the title of Marquis of Wu'ai by Emperor Gaozu, as King of Wu'ai, but did not allow the title to be inherited.

However, Liu Xin was very lucky. After the rebellion of the Lü clan was quelled, his mother participated in supporting Emperor Taizong Xiaowen when he first entered Chang'an. As a result, Liu Xin's title of "Marquis of Luofu" was restored, and he himself also earned the title of Marquis of Yin'an.

Later, Emperor Xiaowu confiscated Liu Xin's title and stripped him of his rank. Liu Xin's descendants were also stripped of their titles, and his family returned to Pei State and settled in Xiang County. Although they lost their titles, they still maintained their wealth and status. Liu Fu felt rather helpless, as if the emperor's lofty image had fallen from the clouds and become more like a street rogue making fun of other people's ancestors. But he also seemed more real, which dissolved the invisible sense of distance between them.

The tension that had been lingering in my heart dissipated almost entirely amidst the emperor's teasing remarks.

Liu Fu composed himself, and his tone involuntarily carried a hint of stubbornness in order to vindicate his ancestors. He said loudly, "The nation, although our ancestors had a difficult life, they were indeed capable and pragmatic. Today, I have some knowledge of water management, which is all thanks to the learning left by my ancestors."

"Oh?"

Liu Bian put away his joking expression, leaned forward slightly, and showed interest, saying, "Yuan Ying, can you tell me a thing or two?"

When speaking of his ancestors' achievements, Liu Fu's spirits lifted slightly, and he raised his head a little, his words revealing a hint of pride. He said, "My ancestors were enfeoffed in Lujiang in the past, and built Shucheng in their fief. At that time, the war had just ended, and scholars from all walks of life had scattered to the south of the Yangtze River. My ancestors widely recruited Mohists, farmers, and geomancers as their retainers, and carried out great water conservancy projects in their fief, building the Qimen Weir, Wuyang Weir, Qiangong Weir, and Caoge Weir, irrigating more than two million mu of fertile land! The people of Yangzhou were grateful for his kindness and built a shrine to worship him. The temple still exists in Shuxian County today, and my ancestors are also buried in Shuxian County."

"What I have learned is the family knowledge of water management compiled by my ancestors by gathering the strengths of various schools of thought!"

"It was my shallowness that led me to only know how to joke and not how to achieve real merit. Such a wise and virtuous elder was ridiculed by me; this is my fault!" Liu Bian sighed with emotion after hearing this, slamming his hand on the table. "I should apologize to Yuan Ying."

Immediately, Liu Bian bowed to Liu Fu, startling Liu Fu into standing up, dodging, and prostrating himself in return.

"If what Yuan Ying said is true, I will ask the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court to clear his name and make it easier to posthumously honor him!"

Upon hearing the emperor readily admit his mistake, Liu Fu was momentarily stunned.

However, he initially took the emperor's second half of the sentence, "rectification of names," as mere politeness. But when he saw Liu Bian summon the Chamberlain Dong Zhao on the spot and order him to immediately send someone to investigate the matter of "Loufu Marquis" building the canal back then, it was clear that this was not just empty comfort.

Although the emperor's words were slightly joking, he was, after all, the emperor of the day, and he was willing to apologize for his joking remarks. This made him seem genuine and a wise ruler who knew how to admit his mistakes and correct them.

Liu Fu was deeply grateful for the emperor's courteous treatment of him from beginning to end. As their understanding of the emperor deepened, the two had a pleasant conversation, discussing everything from studying the classics to managing water resources, from their aspirations to their experiences.

Liu Fu graduated from the Imperial Academy at the age of twenty and could have directly entered the court as an official, but he chose to return to Pei State to serve as the Registrar of Household Affairs, in charge of repairing the water conservancy in his hometown.

During his three-year term, he dredged rivers and canals and rebuilt waterways along the new Sishui River, bringing new life to Peibei, which had been abandoned for a century, and irrigating more than 40,000 mu of farmland.

Although he did not achieve any earth-shattering feats, he worked diligently and practically, demonstrating his talent for water management and his pragmatic spirit.

As the conversation reached its climax, the emperor and his ministers drank and chatted merrily. Only when the wine was flowing freely did Liu Fu take out a letter from his bosom, which Gao Wang presented on his behalf. He said with a smile, "Previously, the Prime Minister of Pei, Lord Tian, ​​gave me a letter of recommendation, but just now... I completely forgot to present it to the state."

Liu Bian accepted the letter of recommendation and read it. In the letter, Tian Feng stated frankly that he knew the emperor was eager for talented people to manage water resources. In view of Liu Fu's achievements in water management in recent years, he specially recommended him as a candidate for the civil service examination. He hoped that the emperor would give him an important position so that he could give full play to his talents, benefit the people, and help the country to revitalize.

The fact that even the usually upright Tian Feng personally wrote a letter of recommendation for Liu Fu shows how much he valued him.

Prefects and prime ministers are certainly distinguished among ordinary officials, but in the eyes of the emperor, of the more than one hundred prefectural and state officials in the country, he has only met twenty or thirty. How much weight can a letter of recommendation add?

However, Tian Feng was a former official of the emperor's former residence when the emperor was still a prince. He was a talented man whom the emperor had personally invited to his residence, and their relationship was extraordinary.

However, after reading it, Liu Bian merely turned his head slightly, casually placed the heavy letter of recommendation on a corner of his desk, then looked up and smiled at Liu Fu below him, saying, "Your talent is sufficient to enter the cabinet; there is no need for this."

Great talents often possess a proud spirit.

Although Liu Fu was more composed than his peers, how could he not have a bit of arrogance in his heart?

This is not a case of forgetting to present the recommendation letter; it is clearly a case of not wanting to rely on others' recommendations and wanting to win the emperor's appreciation with one's own true talent and learning.

(2704 words)
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Note 1: Xun Yue recorded Liu Xin's title of marquis in the Han Ji as "Gua Geng Hou". The Han Ji was adapted from the Han Shu. Xun Yue changed "Liao Fu" to "Gua Fu" and "Geng Jie" to "Gua Geng". In this way, he wrote the derogatory meaning that the two characters "Geng Jie" could not be conveyed. This may also be due to the influence of some extant versions of the Han Shu that mistakenly wrote "Geng Jie" as "Jie Geng".

(End of this chapter)