Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 360 He's a pig, he's a dog!

Huang Wan has been on sick leave for nearly two months.

He told the outside world that he had contracted typhoid fever and was afraid of spreading it to others, so he closed the gates to visitors. Even the daily necessities such as vegetables and meat were delivered into the mansion from outside the courtyard wall by people in baskets.

But everyone in the court knew perfectly well that Huang Wan was in trouble.

If someone contracts typhoid fever, why should the entire household close its doors and refuse visitors?

If one were to contract typhoid fever, aside from leaving one or two family members to take care of him, the rest of the family should leave the mansion to avoid it. Even if it is to show kinship, why not even send the grandson who was born a few days ago out of the mansion?
As many people suspected, Huang Wan had actually been placed under house arrest in the mansion by the Embroidered Robe.

Not only him, but Yang Biao had also been captured by the Embroidered-Robe Envoys, and had been under house arrest for more than a month.

At the beginning of the war between Liu Bian and Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen, Yang Biao, dressed in hemp clothing and carrying the spirit tablet of his father Yang Ci, set out from his hometown of Hongnong, accompanied by mourning cries. He also gathered many of Yang Ci's former students and officials, making quite a scene.

Huang Wan, relying on his status as a close friend of Dou Wu and Chen Fan, as well as a former leader of the partisans, gathered innocent scholars who had been implicated in the partisan persecution, as well as former partisans who still harbored resentment towards the court or were unwilling to remain silent.

These two men did not intend to rebel, but rather hoped to take advantage of the war at the front and the emperor's inability to spare time to raise the banner of "partisans" again, forcing Liu Bian to agree to reopen the old case of Dou Wu and Chen Fan's rebellion in order to stabilize the overall situation.

Oh, so you've made such a big fuss and stirred up such a storm, not to rebel, but just to force me to overturn an old case and apologize?

Do you want to listen to what you're saying?
However, there are some things that it is indeed inconvenient for him, the emperor, to personally intervene in.

Yang Cizhi had an extraordinary relationship with Liu Bian, being both a grandfather and a mentor to him. This tutor to two emperors and a high-ranking official for three generations led the Hongnong Yang clan to its peak, making it the most prominent aristocratic family in the land.

The honors bestowed upon him by Liu Bian upon his death and the arrangements made for his posthumous passing were unprecedented in the entire history of the Han Dynasty.

No matter how Liu Bian dealt with Yang Biao, he would inevitably give others grounds for criticism and be subject to gossip.

Just then, Cheng Yu, who had just returned to the capital to report after causing chaos on the grasslands of Youzhou, heard about this and immediately requested the transfer of command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the Sili region from Empress He.

Guo Cheng, the Embroidered-Robe Envoy of Sili, was the youngest son of Guo Yong, the governor of Nanjun. His maternal clan was the Dong clan of Hejian, from which Empress Dowager Dong originated. However, he was recommended by Guo Tu and was loyal to Liu Bian.

Guo Cheng strictly carried out Cheng Yu's orders, placing Yang Biao and Huang Wan under house arrest in their respective residences.

The other scholars who responded to Huang and Yang were arrested by the Embroidered-Robe officials before they could understand what was happening. Some of those who resisted fiercely were killed on the spot, and all of them were accused of "intending to support the rebellious emperor".

Cheng Yu's methods were extremely ruthless and merciless. Without any interrogation, he directly chopped up more than a dozen radicals into minced meat and fed them to the dogs in front of the other scholars.

These pampered scholars had never witnessed such a bloody and terrifying scene.

He cursed Cheng Yu's cruelty while defecating and urinating all over the prison floor.

In an instant, the prison was filled with curses, cries, and pleas for mercy. The usual refined demeanor vanished as everyone rushed to reveal all the inside information they knew.

Liu Bian was "completely unaware" of this matter until news of the victory at the front was sent back to the capital Luoyang by express courier. Only then was the matter "timely" reported to him.

In this world, the only people who dared and had the ability to cut off messages sent to the emperor were Emperor Emeritus Liu Hong of the Northern Palace and his mother, Empress He.

In his memorial, Cheng Yu spoke frankly, stating that this action was taken to prevent the emperor from worrying about matters in the rear and to avoid putting the emperor in a dilemma. Therefore, he made the decision on his own and requested Empress He and Grand Tutor Lu Zhi to temporarily suppress the matter and report back after the war.

In short, Cheng Yu is willing to take full responsibility for all the crimes.

However, Liu Bian was not the kind of heartless ruler who would discard a subject like a worn-out shoe after making him take the blame. Naturally, he would not actually punish Cheng Yu. Rather, he was secretly glad that Cheng Yu had stepped forward to play the "bad guy."

If Cheng Yu hadn't acted decisively, it would have been difficult for him to arrest and place Yang Biao under house arrest so swiftly, whether out of personal friendship with the Yang family of Hongnong or out of concern for the criticism of scholars across the land.

Therefore, an imperial edict declaring Yang Biao, Huang Wan, and many scholars summoned by them as rebels was already en route to Luoyang.

Unfortunately, Yang Biao ignored the three pieces of advice he received last year.

Liu Bian was still struggling with how to deal with Yang Biao and the Yang family of Hongnong.

But there was one thing he had already decided—Huang Wan must die!
This was the first time Liu Bian had ever hated a person so much.

In his eyes, such behavior—indulging in internal conflicts and stabbing people in the back for personal gain—is even more despicable than those openly rebellious figures like the Yuan family of Runan, Liu Chong, and Beigong Boyu!
He is a pig, a dog, a beast in human skin!
Thinking of this, Liu Bian's eyes surged with murderous intent, almost overflowing from their sockets.

"Your Majesty, I... have made up my mind."

Just as Liu Bian's anger was surging and almost uncontrollable, Wang Yun's voice rang out at the right time, pulling him back to reality from the brink of rage.

Liu Bian's sharp, piercing gaze unconsciously swept towards Wang Yun, making Wang Yun feel as if he were being pricked by thorns, and his breath caught in his throat.

However, Liu Bian quickly suppressed his emotions and regained his usual calm, though his voice still carried a trace of lingering coldness as he said indifferently, "Yes, Master, please speak."

Hearing the emperor's inexplicably cold tone, and recalling that chilling glance from just now, Wang Yun's heart tightened, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his back. However, he still steadied himself and bowed, replying, "Your subject... wishes to serve as a court attendant."

"Oh?" Liu Bian raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his voice, and said, "Zishi is actually willing to give up the position of one of the Nine Ministers?"

He was indeed somewhat surprised. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Given Wang Yun's usual tendency to value empty fame, he had assumed that the other party would choose to take up the position of Guanglu Xun.

"Your Majesty, I dare not deceive the country." Wang Yun put on a slightly awkward smile, bowed deeply in his seat, and said, "I feel that my body is still quite healthy and I can live to be seventy or eighty years old. This position of Attendant-in-Ordinary is just a temporary resting place. I... still hope to be able to share a heavier burden for the country in the future."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian, despite the anger that had been building up inside him, couldn't help but smile slightly at Wang Yun's undisguised words. He pointed at him and said, "You, Prince Shi, how come I never noticed before that you had such a mercenary and frivolous nature?"

Wang Yun's meaning was clear: those who have served as ministers of the Nine Ministers may not necessarily be able to return to the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary.

However, it is only natural that those who have served as Attendants-in-Ordinary will be promoted to the Nine Ministers or even the Three Dukes in the future.

Moreover, Wang Yun believed that he was in good health and that outliving several high-ranking officials would be no problem.

Of course, Wang Yun had some deeper thoughts that he did not reveal.

He keenly sensed that the position of the Nine Ministers might gradually become a nominal post, or even a retirement honor bestowed upon virtuous or senior officials.

This is not mere speculation, but rather based on precedent.

For example, the Grand Commandant of the Later Han Dynasty had a far greater power than the Grand Commandant of the Former Han Dynasty and even the Qin Dynasty, who held the reins of the nation's military.

However, these speculations should not be made public. If the emperor does not intend to completely turn the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers into powerless nominal positions as he guessed, but only wants to weaken their power, then his words would be suspected of presuming the emperor's intentions.

(End of this chapter)