Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 42: The Crown Prince's Personal Expedition, Troubles in the Northern Palace

"Your Highness, absolutely not!"

When Liu Bian said this, all the officials in the court were shocked.

Taiwei Yang Ci's originally calm expression suddenly changed color. The imperial sceptre in his hand trembled slightly. Then he stood up with a "swoosh", his robe sleeves raised with the movement. He took two quick steps towards the crown prince, shouting: "Your Highness, you can't do this!"

What a joke, the prince is only twelve years old, and he wants to lead the army in person?

Not to mention whether the prince's young body can withstand the hardships and fatigue of leading troops in battle, just once the prince leaves Luoyang, what should he do if the person in the Northern Palace takes the opportunity to come back?
The position of Crown Prince is recognized by all officials. Over the past few months, they have worked together to assist the Crown Prince in handling state affairs and recognize his wisdom.

However, if the Beigong figure suddenly resurfaced and accused the Crown Prince of treason, wouldn't all officials be considered accomplices and implicated? Then, the court would erupt in a bloodbath even more brutal than the Factional Persecution!
"I second my opinion, the prince is the foundation of the Han Dynasty and should not be left lightly!"

Situ Yuanwei was also extremely surprised. His hands on his knees unconsciously grasped the hem of his clothes, and then he slowly stood up.

He, the Si Tu, was the one who least wanted the Beigong man to rise again.

As Si Tu, he was in charge of the people's affairs. He was responsible for teaching the people to be filial, respectful, humble, frugal, and to maintain their health and bury their dead. He would discuss the system and establish the standards.

He didn't even teach the crown prince to be filial and respectful, and he kept his father under house arrest in Beigong. What kind of Si Tu is he?
By then, wouldn't Beigong's first strike be directed at him, the Si Tu, or even at the Yuan family of Runan?

Sikong Zhangji's body also shook violently, and he quickly stood up. He took a few steps, his body trembling slightly, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Highness, you must not do this!"

Zhang Ji's worries were no less than Yuan Wei's. The Yuan family of Runan had three dukes in four generations, so the one in Beigong would have to be wary of some influence. However, he was from the pro-eunuch faction, and his backers in the court were the emperor and the two eunuchs Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong.

Later, his backer became the crown prince, and he became the crown prince's own man among the three officials. Many decisions in the court would be sought with his support in advance.

If Beigong were to rise again, his family would probably be destroyed.

Even the prince's retainers were looking at each other at this moment, some with frowns, some shaking their heads slightly, their eyes full of confusion and uneasiness. It was obvious that the prince had not discussed this decision with anyone.

Zhang Zhao, who had just been appointed as the Chief of the Imperial Guards, could not help but leave his seat. Holding a tablet in his hand, he said solemnly, "I have heard that 'a son of a thousand gold pieces does not sit in the hall, a son of a hundred gold pieces does not ride on a saddle, and a sage ruler does not take advantage of danger to seek fortune.' Now Your Highness wishes to personally fight the rebels. If you are in danger, even if you take it lightly, what can you do to the Empress Dowager and the Empress?"

"Do you want to be like Yuan Ang?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian glared at Zhang Zhao fiercely, a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, and he waved his right hand vigorously, signaling him to step back.

But Zhang Zhao refused to give in. His eyes were wide open, his chest heaving violently, his feet firmly on the spot, and he refused to surrender.

Yu Gong, the Crown Prince Regent is good at governing the country and is one of the rare wise and virtuous rulers in the Later Han Dynasty. If he fails, the country will be in danger.

Personally, he is a servant of the prince, and his future and the lives of his entire family depend on the prince.

Therefore, Zhang Zhao would never agree to the prince's personal expedition, and even escalated the matter to the point of being an insult to his ancestors and the queen.

"I have made up my mind. The Secretariat has issued an imperial decree to recruit good men from the six counties and Sanhe into the army. I have also ordered the provincial governors and prefects to recruit troops to resist the Yellow Turban rebels."

"Dismiss the dynasty!"

Liu Bian was so angry that he really wanted to kick Zhang Zhao out, but in the end he suppressed his anger, decided that this matter could not be changed, and then left in anger.

Everyone looked at each other, some shook their heads helplessly, some sighed softly, but they had no choice but to slowly disperse.

Outside the Jiade Hall, the three ministers Yuan Wei, Yang Ci and Zhang Ji stopped the Minister of Rites Liu Yan and the Prince's Junior Tutor Xun Shuang, hoping that they could go and persuade the Prince again.

Yuan Wei looked at Liu Yan and said, "A young prince going off on a war without hesitation is not a good thing for the country. You are an elder of the royal family. You can go and make another appeal to His Highness." Liu Yan smiled wryly and said, "Your Highness has made up his mind. How can he allow others to interfere?"

Yang Ci looked at Xun Shang. As the prince's tutor, Xun Shang had the responsibility to teach the prince. He was always respected by the prince. He was also the prince's future father-in-law. It was heard that the queen had also met his eldest daughter and liked her very much. With this relationship, could the prince not listen to Xun Shuang's words?

Xun Shuang also noticed Yang Ci's gaze and shook his head. "Bo Xian once wrote to the Crown Prince, 'He has the same ambitions as Emperor Xiaowen and the same hegemony as Emperor Shizong.' Doesn't he know the Crown Prince's temperament?"

"Don't even mention me. I'm afraid even if the Queen tries to stop him, the Crown Prince will insist on leading the army himself." Xun Shuang glanced at the three dukes and nine ministers beside him and warned, "I understand you're all worried about the Crown Prince, but don't disturb the Queen. The Crown Prince is already furious because of that manifesto. If you disturb the Queen again, he might whip you."

"You must know that if you are young and frivolous and give repeated advice, it may arouse the prince's youthful temperament and even backfire."

Whipping and sticking are used to punish ministers.

The whip is the same as the court beating in later generations, but it was not a system. It was a powerful weapon for Emperor Xiaoming to deal with his ministers.

With Emperor Xiaoming's precedent, given the prince's temperament, he might use this powerful weapon to deal with ministers who disagree with him.

Zhang Ji's eyes darkened slightly, a hint of hesitation flashed across his eyes, and then he sighed deeply and suppressed the thoughts in his mind.

He originally planned to meet Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong after the court was dismissed and ask them to report the matter to the empress. He believed that given the relationship between the empress and the prince, the prince might be stopped by the empress.

But Xun Shuang also reminded him, and he quickly put aside his little thoughts.

Xun Shuang also noticed Zhang Ji's expression, narrowed his eyes slightly, and seemed to be thinking about something.

After spending some time with the prince, he has gotten to know the young prince's temperament.

This is not a young man who is arrogant or would personally conquer in anger, but rather a man who is better at planning before taking action.

Since the Crown Prince proposed to personally lead an expedition against the Yellow Turbans at the court meeting, he must have considered it a long time ago. Otherwise, why would the Northern Governor Huangfu Song suddenly become the General of the Central Army to Suppress the Rebellion?

He had the same plan as Emperor Xiaowen. If he had not made the plan in advance, this prince would not have acted like Emperor Sejong.

Moreover, he vaguely felt that the prince seemed to have other intentions?
But he didn't understand what the prince was trying to do by leading the army in person.

"Rather than dwelling on this matter, it's better to think about how to assist His Highness in defeating the bandit army and returning to the capital as soon as possible." Xun Shuang's voice suddenly dropped, and a hint of caution appeared in his eyes. "Also... there's Beigong."

Everyone understood what Xun Shuang meant by "Beigong".

The Later Han Dynasty often referred to the "Son of Heaven" as "the country", but in this situation, people are worried that calling him "the country" again will offend the prince's taboo, so they refer to him as "the North Palace".

Everyone also deeply agreed with the question raised by Xun Shuang.
Yuan Wei patted Zhu Miao's shoulder heavily and said, "General Wei is in charge of the palace garrison. The Sima of each palace gate is under your command. Don't be careless!"

Yang Ci, Zhang Ji and the other nine ministers also looked at Zhu Miao seriously, which made him feel flattered.

He Jin remained silent. He understood Zhu Miao's importance in this matter, but he still felt uncomfortable seeing Zhu Miao being treated like this by the three dukes and nine ministers.

Zhu Miao naturally knew the seriousness of the matter. He was Liu Hong's brother-in-law, but it was his nephew, the prince, who valued him.

Moreover, once Liu Hong returns to power, he will certainly kill the queen and the prince. Can he escape?
Zhu Miao looked towards Beigong with deep eyes and said nothing more.

(End of this chapter)