Chương 689: Liu Ce and Liu Chen Go to Zhuozhou

Liu Chen had ridden the Luochang Line before, but this was his first time riding the northern line.

The train was moving steadily, and the fields and woods outside the window rushed past. He peered out the window at the fascinating sights, temporarily forgetting about the case.

Liu Ce sat opposite him, peeling sour dates. He would peel one and throw it into his mouth, his eyes squinting from the sourness, but he didn't say anything.

The father and son remained silent as they made their way to Zhuozhou.

The newly planned garden outside Zhuozhou City is usually filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, and is planted with many pine and cypress trees, giving it a solemn appearance.

The monument to the martyrs stands at the top of the slope. It is made of bluestone, without any dragons or phoenixes carved on it. It is very simple, with only six large characters: "Monument to the Martyrs of the Great Han Dynasty".

The back of the monument is engraved with 3, 527 names, densely packed, from generals to soldiers, all with their names and surnames, leaving no one out. Some names also have small marks next to them, indicating the battles in which they died.

Liu Ce squatted down, his fingertips touching the name on the stone tablet, his fingertips rubbing against the raised and recessed marks, and he remained silent for a long time.

Liu Chen stood to the side and squatted down as well, looking at those names with a heavy heart.

These people all followed their father in establishing merit and conquering the world. Many of them were buried here before the world was pacified, and some of their remains were never found.

Liu Ce looked up at him, the wind making the sleeves of his dragon robe flutter loudly. The sound wasn't loud, but every word struck his heart:

"The grain and money that Chen Erniu embezzled would have been enough to feed the entire village for several years back then. During the famine, people even resorted to cannibalism; a single grain of grain could save a life."

Among those who starved to death, there might be distant nephews or relatives of the brothers here. They risked their lives to build this empire, hoping to give their families a better life, but in the end, their families were starved to death by corrupt officials.

You spared Chen Erniu's life out of respect for Old Chen's stubbornness and out of consideration for his past service. But if you spare the corrupt official, you are trampling on the graves of the brothers here, and slapping the faces of those peasants who risked their lives for me back then.

If they knew in the afterlife that the empire they fought so hard to build was being exploited by corrupt officials who rode on the backs of ordinary people, and that the crown prince had even spared them, they would be heartbroken and would curse the crown prince for being useless.

Crown Prince Liu Chen gripped his sleeve tightly, his nails digging into his palms, in great pain, but he remained silent.

He used to think that "benevolence" was a good thing, and that being tolerant of his subjects was the only way to win people's hearts.

But standing in front of this monument today, looking at the densely packed names, he suddenly felt that his "kindness" was particularly ridiculous, and that he felt particularly sorry for these people buried in the yellow earth.

The train continued to clang on the way back.

Liu Ce peeled a sour jujube and handed it to him: "Try it, it's really sour."

Liu Chen took it, put it in his mouth, and felt so sour that his brows furrowed and tears almost welled up in his eyes.

"The emperor's benevolence is for the common people, not for the officials who ride roughshod over them," Liu Ce said slowly, looking out at the fields.

"Being merciful to bad people is like stabbing good people in the back. If you spare one person today, ten or a hundred will dare to do it tomorrow. They think that they can get away with it because someone pleads for them. In the end, it is all innocent civilians who die."

"We conquered the country with the help of these brothers, but we maintain it with the support of the people. If the people are not doing well, the country will not be stable."

Crown Prince Liu Chen's lips turned pale. After a long while, he managed to utter a sentence:

"... Your subject will go back and change it."

Liu Ce didn't say anything, he just nodded, as if nothing had happened.

..................

On the night of his return to Luoyang, Crown Prince Liu Chen revised the imperial edicts in the Eastern Palace.

The candles were lit, and he sat at his desk, his vermilion brush hovering for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

Many images flashed through my mind: sometimes the densely packed names on the monument, sometimes the people who starved to death...

Finally, he decisively lowered his pen, crossed out the original words, and rewrote them, each stroke deliberate and forceful: "Chen Erniu embezzled disaster relief grain... His crime is unforgivable, and he shall be executed immediately. All his property shall be confiscated, and the embezzled silver shall be converted into cash and used to compensate each of the deceased families with 30, 000 coins. Any shortfall shall be deducted from Chen Tiezhu's official salary for ten years.

Chen Tiezhu has failed in his duty to educate his nephew, and his title shall be stripped by one rank. He shall be allowed to remain in Zhuozhou to enjoy his retirement. — Crown Prince Chen" After finishing writing, he let out a long breath, as if a huge burden had been lifted, and he felt much more relaxed.

Just as I put down my pen, a eunuch came to report: "Your Highness, His Majesty has sent over a jar of wine, as well as a package of braised beef sent by Earl Chen, saying it's for Your Highness as a late-night snack, to be eaten while it's hot."

Liu Chen looked up and saw the wine jar and the braised beef wrapped in oil paper, still warm and emitting a rich aroma of meat.

He paused for a moment, then burst out laughing, pulled out the cork, and took a big gulp. It was so spicy that he gasped for breath and tears almost welled up in his eyes.

I don't know if it was the spiciness of the alcohol or something else, but my eyes are a little wet.

He wiped his mouth, sat down and continued grading the remaining folds, his back straighter than before, and the characters he wrote with more force.

..................

The next day, Chen Tiezhu entered the palace dressed in plain clothes, without his official hat, and his hair had turned quite white, making him look much older.

He kowtowed three times, his voice hoarse:

"Your Highness, I thank you for not protecting your son. That wicked child committed such a heinous act and deserves to die. I have failed in my duty to educate my nephew and have failed Your Majesty and the people. I request that my rank be reduced by three grades and that I retire to Zhuozhou to guard the tombstone for my brothers."

Liu Ce crossed his legs on the dragon throne and waved his hand: "Let's just reduce your rank by one grade. The third grade is too much. Your meager salary will have to be deducted for ten years to compensate the farmers. If it's reduced any further, you won't even be able to afford beef."

"Guarding the monument is fine, but don't leave yet. The new recruits need to hear stories from the veterans every month. Go back and tell those lads about what happened back in Youzhou. Don't let them think the founding of the nation was easy, or that good times just fell from the sky."

Chen Tiezhu wiped his face, his rough hands brushing against the corners of his eyes, and answered with a muffled "Yes."

When he came out, his back was straighter than when he entered the palace, and his steps were steady. He was a completely different person from when he came.

He knew that His Majesty had neither disappointed the old ministers nor wronged the people.

This world is still the same world that was conquered by His Majesty and is for the benefit of the people.

..................

In early June of the fifteenth year of Shenwu, the weather in Luoyang was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, with the fragrance of lotus flowers in the breeze, and the lotus flowers in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom.

Yesterday, the grand court assembly was just held. This morning, Liu Ce summoned all his old brothers who had followed him from Youzhou, including Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Xun Yu, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xi Zhicai, Xun You, Lü Bu, Yuwen Chengdu, Xu Da, and Xue Rengui, to the steps outside the Taiji Hall.

The six princesses, Liu Ying (eldest), Liu Sui (second), Liu Yi (third), Liu Mei (fourth), Liu Ran (fifth), and Liu Nong (sixth), had been waiting here early with their entourage. They had brought a large sheet of drawing paper, a pile of charcoal pencils and pencils, and even ground the ink.