Chapter 0008: Yuan Kui arrives
Dong Chong, feeling helpless, also stood here in companionship, waiting for more than an hour. The crowd was beginning to sway slightly when the door was finally pushed open slowly. An elderly man walked out briskly. Upon seeing the disgruntled expressions of the young servants and then glancing at the official seal hanging from Yuan Kui's waist, the old man halted his steps, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked up at them, exuding a sense of boldness.
His speech was powerful and resonant, leaving the little chubby man somewhat bewildered. What was he talking about, some kind of nonsense, some distant descendant? A surname of Yuan and a name of Wei? He had never heard of it himself. He adjusted his sleeves and raised his head to speak:
Since you have already read the books, why do you not pay your respects and greet the two thousand stones?
In this era, there are filial sons who kill their children to feed their mothers, there are honest officials who kill their concubines to reward their troops, and there are countless officials like Yuan Kui, whose eyes are only set on empty fame. For this reason, they closely watch the various powerful nobles, and at the slightest mistake, they go on a rampage of slaughter. Therefore, when one surveys the history of the Han Dynasty, how many honest officials and renowned ministers are there? Oh, the strong decree! Oh, the strong decree! In the countless biographies of renowned ministers, it is written that they punish the powerful and the strong, and the common people all submit. It is written that they divorce their wives and resign from their posts, vowing to resist the powerful to the death.
I, Yuan Zhaogong's great-grandson, grandson of Yuan Gaoshi, and son of the late Grand Commandant Tang Ren, serve as the Prime Minister of the Hejian State, Wei
Hong is a descendant of the Great Ancestor Emperor Gao, the great-grandson of Emperor Xuanzong of the Xiaozhang era, the grandson of the Duke of Hejian, and the nephew of the current Holy Emperor
Who are you, my lord? I am the Marquis of Jiedu Pavilion! What need is there for formalities?
At this moment, Yuan Kui is taking advantage of this matter to mercilessly reprimand the Marquis's residence. The young Marquis is merely nine years old; he is aware of this, but do the people know? They only understand that they are but a mere subject, while the Marquis is of noble lineage and a royal relative. They do not yield to his tyranny and oppression, confronting him directly with reprimands! The more Yuan Kui spoke, the more pleased he became, even dragging out the deceased father of Liu Hong into the conversation.
What is the charge? The charge is that he intended to bribe the eunuchs in the court. Upon learning this, the emperor ordered the pardon of Zhang Fan, declaring him innocent. However, Cheng Jun disregarded the imperial decree and still executed Zhang Fan, along with the slaughter of over two hundred of his relatives and guests. Is the entire Zhang family to be exterminated? All for merely intending to bribe the eunuchs in the court? At the same time, there is also Liu Zhi, the governor of Taiyuan, who arrested the county's Huangmen Zhao Jin, accusing him of not doing good deeds, and consequently killed his relatives. At the same time, there is also Liu Zhi, the governor of Taiyuan, who arrested the county's Huangmen Zhao Jin, accusing him of not doing good deeds, and consequently killed his relatives
Yuan Kui then looked towards Dong Chong, who, feeling helpless, clasped his hands in salute and said, "My lord, please follow me." He then led him to the study. Upon arriving at the door of the study, they found it tightly closed, with the sound of reading coming from within. Yuan Kui was taken aback; when did the members of the royal family start studying? There are indeed outstanding individuals among the royal family, such as Liu Biao, who, at a young age, ranked among the Eight Kitchens, truly a talent of the royal lineage.
It turns out that you have come here to reprimand my mother and me. In the Hou residence, there is not a single male member, and your actions will only invite ridicule from the world.
These two individuals suddenly became renowned throughout the land, and regardless of whether they were scholars or commoners, both regarded these two as exemplars of fearlessness against the powerful and the wealthy. Even if these powerful figures merely intended to bribe the eunuchs, the Huangmen would only be seen as failing to do good deeds, and thus, they would be directly exterminated along with their families. The officials of the late Han dynasty were frenzied, and under the bizarre system of recommending filial piety and integrity, countless strange filial sons and peculiar honest officials emerged
... ...
How dare I punish the young lord? Moreover, the young lord is merely a child; what crime has he committed? Those household servants, can they be of any assistance? We only need to investigate a little to know the truth.
Yuan Kui carefully scrutinized the two individuals before him, while contemplating in his heart that he must place the blame on the noble family of the Hou residence in order to achieve political merit. Otherwise, merely capturing a few deceitful servants would not constitute a notable achievement; rather, it would be a loss of face. If he were to interrogate those servants first, they would surely take the blame upon themselves. What consequence could there be for falsely reporting auspicious omens?
The thoughts of the little fat boy were certainly unknown to everyone, yet this powerful and resonant response astonished all. Even the elderly looked at the little fat boy with great interest, eager to see what else he might say
"Salutations to the elder!" Yuan Kui respectfully bowed, and everyone else followed suit
The ram is exceedingly elegant, and I cannot bear to disturb it
The noble has wrongfully accused Wei, and the household servants have spread rumors, which are indeed malicious acts that tarnish the reputation of the Marquis's residence. Wei has come this time to clear the name of the Marquis's residence, unwilling for our Han royal family to bear the stigma
He stood at the door, motionless, listening to the sound of reading coming from inside
Dong's face was as cold as frost, furrowing his brows and remaining silent, while Dong Chong stood up. In recent days, due to the disappearance of his eldest son, Dong Chong had already been heartbroken and physically exhausted, utterly worn out. At this moment, Yuan Kui's words rang in his ears like a thunderclap, prompting him to rise, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Yuan Kui, yet he found himself unable to speak.
Yuan Kui remained calm and composed, gazing steadily at the Dong family. He rose, clasped his hands, and said: "Although the young lord is still in his youth, he is a member of the Han royal family, being a nephew of the emperor. I have taken on the role of the governor of Hejian, ensuring the well-being of the people, with a wise and virtuous king, and diligent officials working in unison, leading to a daily improvement in the moral character of the populace. Yet, the young lord, being inexperienced, has allowed his household servants to privately convey auspicious omens and engage in deceitful acts. Even if the young lord holds a noble status, I am still willing to teach him on behalf of his father! Teach him the rites and morals! Guide him to practice benevolence and filial piety!"
A servant said, "My lord, should we knock on the door to inform them?"
The old man did not even acknowledge him, merely waving his hand casually before continuing to look up. The chubby boy bounced out, and upon seeing the old man standing at the door, his expression changed. He immediately straightened his clothes and assumed the demeanor of a refined gentleman. Yuan Kui, not receiving a return greeting from the elder, remained undeterred and unperturbed, smiling as he observed the chubby boy.
Yuan Zi is being rude!" Dong Shi shouted angrily
Old Wolf finds this quite terrifying, while the virtuous officials selected are indeed commendable. However, by the end of the period, there were far too many absurd actions taken for the sake of false fame. Old Wolf cites an example from the book, which indeed occurred that year; such events were not uncommon during the late Han dynasty. Moreover, acts like killing a son to save a mother or killing a wife to save soldiers and civilians were also very prevalent. Historical records document these occurrences, and although there are differences in eras, reflecting on them now still evokes a sense of fear. Furthermore, acts like killing a son to save a mother or killing a wife to save soldiers and civilians were also very prevalent. Historical records document these occurrences, and although there are differences in eras, reflecting on them now still evokes a sense of fear
At this moment, the chubby boy was also sizing up these uninvited guests. Noticing his uncle's displeased expression and the surrounding servants' hostility towards them, he couldn't help but harbor a hint of animosity towards Yuan Kui. He straightened his back and boldly asked, "Who are you?"
However, there are few members of the royal family, like Liu Hong, who are close to the emperor and have pursued scholarly studies or official positions
This matter... is merely a fabrication by a household servant to amuse the young lord. The young lord is only about eight or nine years old. How could you, sir, wish to punish the young lord for this?" It was still Dong who spoke.
Ironically, Yuan Kui's words are so grandiloquent that outsiders might be impressed by his character and his integrity in the face of power. However, the officials of the Han Dynasty are not afraid of the powerful; each one of them is willing to break their heads, even deliberately seeking trouble, attacking the powerful, and eliminating the tyrants. This has almost become the modus operandi of every official in the Han Dynasty. This year, for instance, the governor of Nanyang, Cheng Xuan, has arrested the local tyrant Zhang Fan and imprisoned him.
It seems that Dong Jun is quite knowledgeable about this matter, why not share with me how it is?
What is your background? Everyone from my great-grandfather upwards has been an emperor! How can you compare yourself to me? Furthermore, if we go back further, our ancestors can be traced back to the Red Emperor! And you, with the surname Yuan? If we trace your ancestry back a dozen generations, what do you amount to? A monkey keeper?
At this moment, Yuan Kui's greatest hope is that the Dong family can write to His Majesty, provoking His Majesty's great anger and leading to his own imprisonment. In this way, he too would surely become renowned throughout the world, just like Cheng Xun and Liu Zhi, becoming a celebrated virtuous minister in the mouths of the people and leaving a name in the annals of history
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly became cold and desolate
As a dignified Prime Minister, one can only gain some reputation by creating incidents in the marquis's residence, preferably by directly reprimanding those powerful nobles and royal family members. This way, one would no longer need to speak of resigning to study in hardship; perhaps one could directly enter the Ministry of Personnel through the influence of one's father. This reliance on paternal influence is not about connections, but rather about leveraging the power of the Yuan family. The Yuan family has disciples spread across the country, and the generation of one's father and uncles has many close friends. As long as there are some political achievements, promotion is merely a matter of a few words. Perhaps one could directly enter the Ministry of Personnel through the influence of one's father. This reliance on paternal influence is not about connections, but rather about leveraging the power of the Yuan family. The Yuan family has disciples spread across the country, and the generation of one's father and uncles has many close friends. As long as there are some political achievements, promotion is merely a matter of a few words.
The Dong family is merely a group of women, how can they possibly compare to Yuan Kui in terms of eloquence? Listening with anger, unable to respond, trembling all over, gritting his teeth as he looked at his elder brother. Although Dong Chong had read a few books, he could not compare to a noble scion like Yuan Kui. He opened his mouth, but could only sigh helplessly. Yuan Kui revealed a smile at the corner of his mouth and said to the Dong family: "Where is the young lord? May I have the honor of meeting him?"
In the busy season of spring planting, he is working hard at the Liu steward's office in my residence. You may visit him in person
Dong turned his head away and ignored him