Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 70 Liu Ye: You've ruined me!
Faced with Yan Xiang's questioning, Liu Ye responded with righteous indignation.

"Since our lord has received the weight of the divine weapon and wears the jade seal at his waist, he has been ordained by Heaven!"
He should ascend the throne to appease the people and the nation!
Lord Yan could go among the people to listen to their voices, or come to the academy to meet with the students and hear their petitions!
If the emperor were like Lord Yuan, the people would be extremely fortunate!

I, Liu Ziyang, am not seeking high office or rank for myself, but for the sake of all people and for the well-being of the common people!
Since Lord Yan has served as a minister to the Lord and is deeply trusted by him, and has even used the Lord's sword to kill disloyal subjects, he is now obstructing the Lord's ascension to the throne and going against the way of peace and prosperity for all people.

What are your true intentions?

Liu Ye's words would be considered treasonous anywhere else, but only in Shouchun and Jianghuai was it politically correct.

Since Yuan Shu obtained the imperial seal last year, and Yuan Yin and Li Feng tested the waters, both the Yuan family behind Yuan Yin and the ministers behind Li Feng who wanted to gain merit for supporting the emperor have tacitly received a political signal from Yuan Shu's use of the title "I" instead of "Emperor".

It's not that the lord doesn't want to become emperor, but rather that the time isn't right.

So how could Yuan Shu be made emperor so that the Yuan family could become the imperial family and the officials could also claim credit for supporting the emperor?
They can proactively let the time come!
Thus, the rumors spread that Yuan Shu had received the Imperial Seal and was a man of destiny, and that he had undergone a complete transformation. After Yuan Shu pacified Jiangdong, news about his fame and deeds spread widely throughout the country.

The powerful families control public opinion, and the top families control public opinion among the powerful families. The Yuan family happens to be the best among them.

In such a public opinion atmosphere and political environment, with the Yuan family sparing no effort to create momentum and support, not to mention the benevolent and virtuous policies implemented by Yuan Shu.

He ate vegetarian food tonight, and his reputation for integrity will spread throughout the Jianghuai region; he wore old clothes tomorrow morning, and his reputation for frugality will be praised along both banks of the Huai River.

In addition, the Taoist priest Yu Ji recently established the Taiping Temple on Bagong Mountain outside Shouchun City to spread his teachings, and the incense among the people has never stopped burning.

Even prominent figures in the city, such as the two mistresses, Madam Qiao, Madam Wu (mother of Prince Bofu), Madam Yuan (wife of Prince Bofu), and even Madam Taishi (mother of General Ziyi), would often go to burn incense and pray for Lord Yuan and his soldiers who were on a distant expedition.

As a result, the incense at Taiping Temple became even more abundant. Taiping Temple and the popular opinion that "Yuan Gong can restore peace to the world and should be the son of Heaven" have always complemented each other. With the overwhelming public opinion as fuel, how could the incense not burn brighter and brighter until it burned through the heavens!
To be honest, when Liu Ye first received Xi Zhicai's letter telling him to go and help Yuan Shu declare himself emperor, he was initially very cautious.

They thought that even if spreading such treasonous words pleased Yuan Shu, it would surely backfire and be extremely dangerous.

But after arriving in Shouchun, he truly understood why it was widely believed that Yuan Gonglu's ambition to become emperor was obvious.

It's common knowledge here, yet it's not a rhetorical device?
It's just stating the facts.

Just by looking at how Yu Ji and Taiping Temple rose to power, you can tell that here, as long as you conform to political correctness, even if you are a remnant of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, you will be promoted to the "state religion".

Liu Ye truly hadn't expected things to be handled so simply and smoothly.
The city was filled with Yuan Shu's protégés and former officials, as well as rebels like the remnants of the Taiping Dao. In Shouchun, the largest rebel stronghold of the time, it was not too difficult to spread the idea that Yuan Shu would become emperor.

On the contrary, the real difficulty of this task lies in how to truly deliver my politically correct remarks to Yuan Shikai.

Because in this city of Shouchun right now, there is one major politically incorrect figure: Yan Xiang!

He almost single-handedly suppressed the remonstrances and memorials from the faction advocating for the emperor's ascension, withstood all the pressure from public opinion, and prevented these misleading remarks from reaching Yuan Shikai.

If it weren't for Yuan Gong's great trust in him, granting him a sword to handle matters in the rear, and Yan Xiang himself being a senior and respected minister with a faction under his command that supported him in gradually declaring himself emperor, the momentum of the imperial faction would have been uncontrollable long ago.

This is also why Liu Ye came to Shouchun Confucian Academy.

He had previously visited Master Yu Ji of Taiping Temple and obtained the "Petition of the People" from him, and then obtained the "Joint Petition of the Students" from his speech at the academy.

Next, they contacted the Yuan family to discuss the "Book of Public Discussion among the Noble Families." With these three documents submitted, public sentiment was in an uproar. Coupled with their silver tongues, they confirmed Yuan Gonglu's ambition to become emperor. Thus, the imperial regalia would change hands, there would be two masters in the world, and Yuan Gonglu would have a just cause for his death.

With Xi Zhicai's strategy, Liu Ziyang's solo entry into Shouchun and his monumental achievement in saving Cao Cao's camp would be unstoppable. He had already made his plans in mind. Now, looking at the old minister with white hair and beard in front of him, holding a sword and staring at him, Liu Ye stepped forward, displaying the demeanor of a loyal minister of the Yuan family, dignified and righteous!
"Lord Yan, you have been trying so hard to stop our lord from becoming emperor. Do you still have any thoughts about the Han dynasty now? What are your true intentions?"

Yan Xiang: ? ? ?
My heart is with the Han Dynasty? Do you want to hear what you're saying?
Ultimately, he valued Liu Ye's talent and earnestly persuaded him.

"Liu Ziyang, you are still young, and you tend to be impulsive when you think about things."

Although my lord now controls the Jianghuai region and commands tens of thousands of armored soldiers, it is still far from the time for him to declare himself emperor.

Yuan Shao of Ye Commandery once served as the leader of the Eighteen Warlords Alliance, dominating the four provinces of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing. His troops were well-trained, well-supplied, and had a multitude of fierce generals.

Cao Cao of Yanzhou was an even more cunning and ruthless figure of his time. His ambition and strategy were no less than Yuan Shao's. Once his lord declared himself emperor, not only would the two of them, but also other warlords such as Liu Bei, Lü Bu, and Liu Biao would not stand idly by.

With your talent, Liu Ziyang, can't you see these things clearly? To have such a vast empire destroyed in an instant because of a momentary desire to become emperor—is that what you truly desire?

Liu Ye: "."

This old man Yan is quite something. Could it be that he has seen through my schemes?

Fortunately, there are many conveniences in this city of Shouchun. Today, he is the one who is politically correct, and Yan Xiang is not a threat.

He faced Yan Xiangjian's sword head-on, his heart filled with loyalty to the Yuan family, and spoke out for justice!

"Yan Xiang! Stop trying to demoralize our lord and his army!"
Cao Cao? A skeleton in a tomb!
He has been driven into a corner, and the lord will surely capture him soon.

Yuan Shao, the lord's half-brother, could easily declare himself emperor in the north. In that case, our great Yuan family would no longer be four generations of three dukes, but rather one family with two emperors, ruling as the sovereign in both the north and the south!

The likes of Liu Bei and Lü Bu are like mustard seeds, not worth worrying about.

Yan Gongxiu, please don't try to scare us. The overwhelming public opinion on both sides of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers is a powerful and unstoppable force. Do you really think you can't see it?

"If you dare to stop me again, you will be crushed to dust by the tide of history!"

Before Yan Xiang could speak again, Yuan Ke, Yuan Gui, Yuan Chen, and other elders of the Yuan family of Runan surrounded Yuan Yao's small figure and slowly walked to Liu Ye's side to confront Yan Xiang.

Yuan Yao personally handed a document to Liu Ye, performing the rites of a disciple.

"Sir, this is the last book you are missing."

The students are willing to take this as their teacher!

As he spoke, he took Liu Ye's large hand in his small one and looked up to meet Yan Xiang's gaze.

"I am going to take you to see my father today, but even Yama is trying to stop me?"

Such a shocking turn of events left Liu Ye and Yan Xiang speechless for a moment.

Yan Xiang/Liu Ye: Oh no!!!
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(End of this chapter)