Chapter 38: One Word Kills the Heart

  Liu Bian softened his tone, slightly furrowed his brow, and put on a bewildered expression, saying: "The Grand Tutor said that Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, etc. are treacherous officials, I don't know what basis he has? When the previous emperor was alive, he trusted Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong very much, considering them loyal ministers."

  Yuan Shao said in a serious tone: "The late Emperor's actions were reckless and absurd, so he was posthumously named 'Ling'. Your Majesty wants to revive the great Han Dynasty, how can you take the late Emperor as an example? Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong have disrupted the governance of the court, people all over the world are resentful and cannot sleep or eat. What loyalty do they have? If Your Majesty does not believe me, just listen to what the other officials have to say."

  As soon as everyone heard this, they immediately began to denounce Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong. Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong had committed too many crimes, and it was not even necessary to fabricate anything, enough to nail them to the pillar of shame. After a round of bombardment, I estimate that Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong would have drowned in the Yellow River, or been drowned by their own saliva.

  Lu Zhi secretly sighed and thought to himself: "The Son of Heaven is indeed young and ignorant, why bring up these two eunuchs? Isn't this asking for trouble?"

  Yang Biao also slightly shook his head, thinking it was inappropriate.

  In a corner, a handsome young official furrowed his brow, as if deep in thought.

  Liu Bian listened quietly, waiting for the crowd to scold until they were tongue-tied and temporarily stopped. He then nodded in deep agreement. "What you all have said, I deeply agree with. Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, serving the emperor unfaithfully, being greedy, violent, extravagant, and ignoring the law, are hateful and deserving of death. The thing that has left the deepest impression on me is that he deceived the previous emperor in order to avoid exposing his own crimes, not allowing the previous emperor to ascend to a high place to look far into the distance."

  Yuan Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly had an ominous feeling.

  Lu Zhi let out a long sigh, feeling slightly relieved. He thought to himself that although the Emperor was young, he still knew right from wrong and didn't persist in his mistaken views, standing on the side of Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others.

  The young officer's eyelid twitched and his eyes suddenly lit up.

  Yang Biao's mouth twitched upwards, and he smiled silently. He turned his eyes to look at Liu Bian, who was sitting upright on the throne, and perked up his ears.

  "Although Zhuque Gate was burned, it can't be seen outside the city, but many buildings and pavilions inside the city are still visible. I ascended to Qinglong Que at the East Gate yesterday, only then did I realize Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong's sinister intentions. The numerous tall buildings and grand houses in this city...". Liu Bian dragged out his words, seemingly smiling as he scanned the group of officials who had just been filled with righteous indignation: "Indeed, there are many. Taifu, that magnificent mansion occupying nearly half of Beiguanli, is it your private residence?"

  Yuan Wei took a deep breath of cold air, speechless, his face losing its usual calmness. He raised his head and re-examined Liu Bian's face.

  He finally knew where that ominous feeling came from.

  Liu Bian brought up Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, but it was just a smokescreen. He was waiting for them to jump in themselves. Normally, Yuan Yi wouldn't have made such a big mistake, but he had never considered Liu Bian as an opponent, so he didn't think deeply about it. By the time he realized it was a trap, it was too late to pull back.

  All crimes can be justified, as long as you can speak, as long as someone helps you. Black can be said to be white, bad can be said to be good, it's not a difficult thing. He just turned the crime of Yuan Shu burning Zhuque Temple and Jiulong Gate into a merit. But the house is built there, can't deny it, even if you demolish it, you won't have time to demolish it, even if you use fire to burn it, can you burn the occupied area smaller?

  The Son of Heaven cannot casually leave the palace, many things cannot be verified, but he can ascend to a high place and look far away, the Yuan family is just outside the Qinglong Gate, not far away, the Son of Heaven can see clearly with one glance.

  Yuan Wei had no way to refute, and the crime of exceeding building specifications was equivalent to treason, much more serious than corruption. By this standard, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong would certainly not be able to escape the crime of being treacherous officials, and Yuan Wei himself could not clear his own name either.

  No matter how many excuses you have, once you overstep the mark, it's enough to make you unable to turn back. Confucianism emphasizes proper words and actions, self-restraint and adherence to etiquette. What is etiquette? Etiquette refers to strict hierarchical rules, what level of people live in what kind of house, this is etiquette. Using a specification that one should not use is overstepping the mark, it's impolite.

  The Yuan family themselves don't observe etiquette, what qualification do they have to comment on others, what qualification do they have to comment on others, what qualification do they have to pretend to be a gentleman who observes etiquette?

  Liu Bian's one sentence tore off the hypocritical face of the Yuan family, and slapped Yuan Wei's old face with a loud slap.

  That's right, he said that, and can't do anything to Yuan Wei. The law does not blame the masses, and there are many people who have exceeded the limit. If he forces these people to demolish their houses that exceed the limit, I'm afraid that half of the grand mansions in Luoyang will be demolished, and no one will listen to him. However, this does not mean that he cannot publicly expose Yuan Wei's true face, nor does it mean that he cannot publicly counterattack and humiliate Yuan Wei.

  I'm going to rip off the mask you hold most dear and trample on it. That's not all, I'll also stab two more knives into your heart.

  Liu Bian let out a soft sigh, and with an air that seemed to be sympathetic but was actually gloating, said: "The classics say that only when the family's virtues are passed down can their good fortune last; only when one is loyal and kind can their descendants prosper. The Grand Tutor's learning is naturally good, but there are some things... that cannot be perfect. The Grand Tutor is over sixty years old, with a healthy body, yet without a single son or daughter. As the saying goes, 'there are three unfilial acts, and having no heirs is the worst.' Grand Tutor, while your body is still in good condition, why not take on a few concubines?"

  When he heard this, Yuan Wei's face suddenly flushed with blood, and his originally pale complexion turned bright red, then slightly purplish.

  Disobedience to parents is of three kinds, and the worst is not having descendants. Not having children was his greatest pain in this life, and also the most unsettling place in his heart. When he was alone, he often asked himself if not having children was due to his own lack of virtue. He knew in his heart whether he had been virtuous or not, so he also accepted that being childless was a punishment from heaven, and gave up hope.

  There is another reason why he has such an idea: his eldest brother Yuan Cheng, who was also the nominal father of Yuan Shao, had attached himself to General-in-Chief Liang Ji in those years and had done many bad things. At that time, someone said that he would surely die young because of his unrighteous behavior, and later it indeed happened that way. He only had a daughter but no son, so he could only let the son of his second brother Yuan Feng, Yuan Shao, inherit his position. Yuan Cheng also had a daughter, but he himself did not even have a daughter, how could he not be resentful?

  This was his heart disease, and also his reverse scale. No one dared to mention it, no one dared to touch it. As a result, Liu Bian not only touched it today, but also tore down his reverse scale fiercely, making him feel a sharp pain in his heart, bleeding profusely.

  Compared to this crime, what's the point of talking about usurpation and such? If you have committed a great sin, Heaven will punish you by ending your lineage. What could be more convincing than that, more heart-wrenching?

  Yuan Wei suddenly collapsed. He stared at Liu Bian on the throne, and a wave of dizziness washed over him, thud, he fell to the ground.

  With a "wow", Yuan Wei spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

  The hall was suddenly in an uproar.