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Cai Yong stood among the ranks of the hundred officials, and when he saw Li Ru step forward from the crowd, his heart sank. By the time Li Ru finished speaking about relocating the capital, his entire being was gripped by dread...
Just as Fei Qian had predicted, today, riding on the momentum of the great victory in Yingchuan, the capital would be moved!
Cai Yong couldn't help but recall Fei Qian's words from the study the day before—
"...Though the Cai family is renowned in Chenliu, you have long resided in the Sili region, and your ties to your homeland have weakened. Now, your only close kin is your teacher. If anything were to happen to him, how could you bear the thought of being left alone and helpless?... Moreover, though your loyalty and integrity are widely known, you are not one skilled in remonstration. Thus, your repeated admonitions to the ruler have gone unheeded... To speak out boldly may bring momentary satisfaction, but where does that leave the weighty responsibilities of family, state, and the fate of literature? A true gentleman is not only one who dares to confront his ruler with harsh truths but also one who endures humiliation for a greater cause..."
Thinking of this, Cai Yong raised his head slightly and gazed at the Three Dukes at the front of the assembly. How he wished Fei Qian's predictions were wrong! If only those high-ranking ministers would rise together in opposition, the hundred officials would surely follow suit, and perhaps, under such pressure, Dong Zhuo might relent, and the matter of relocating the capital would come to nothing...
Yet, to his dismay, not a single one of the Three Dukes stepped forward.
Originally, the Three Dukes of the Han Dynasty were not just three positions but six.
The Grand Commandant (太尉), Minister over the Masses (司徒), and Minister of Works (司空) were the three permanent titles, but beyond these, there were also the Grand Preceptor (太师), Grand Mentor (太傅), and Grand Guardian (太保), also referred to as the Three Dukes. However, unlike the former three, these latter titles were often bestowed upon elder statesmen or those who had retired from the three main positions, serving more as honorary titles.
At this time, the positions of Grand Preceptor and Grand Guardian had long been vacant, with no one appointed to them. The only exception was when Dong Zhuo entered the capital and was granted the title of Grand Preceptor. Though he had since been appointed Chancellor (相国), the position of Grand Preceptor had not been reassigned to anyone else.
Thus, in this grand assembly, the so-called Three Dukes were actually four individuals: Grand Commandant Huang Wan, Minister over the Masses Yang Biao, Minister of Works Xun Shuang, and Grand Mentor Yuan Wei...
Cai Yong was not the only one watching these high ministers—the other officials were also observing them closely.
Fei Qian's predictions were largely accurate, for whether ancient or modern, when faced with certain situations, the times and circumstances may change, but the nature of human behavior remains consistent across the ages.
Greed, cowardice, anger, and arrogance—these emotions have existed since the dawn of humanity and have not diminished with the passage of time...
The current Three Dukes were indeed cunning old foxes, but even foxes have their dens.
The Yuan family's ancestral home was in Runan, Xun Shuang's in Yingchuan, and Huang Wan's was farther away, in the Anlu region of Jiangxia. Only Minister over the Masses Yang Biao's home was in Hongnong...
Hongnong Commandery was part of the Sili region, directly adjacent to Henei Commandery, where Luoyang was located. The stretch from Hangu Pass to Tong Pass all fell within Hongnong's territory. Thus, if the capital were moved, the first and most severely affected regions would be Henei Commandery, followed closely by Hongnong...
Moreover, Dong Zhuo was not only relocating the capital but also forcibly relocating the population!
This would drain Hongnong of half its lifeblood!
So when Li Ru, representing Dong Zhuo, proposed relocating the capital, and Dong Zhuo immediately voiced his approval, the eyes of the hundred officials turned to the Three Dukes. Among them, Yuan Wei remained silent and unmoving, for he knew that if the capital were moved, someone else would be far more anxious than he was...
Sure enough, Minister over the Masses Yang Biao stepped forward from the crowd and stood beside Li Ru, declaring loudly, "The Guanzhong region has long been dilapidated and desolate. To abandon the ancestral temples and imperial mausoleums without cause would surely alarm the people. It is easy to stir the empire into chaos but difficult to restore peace. I implore the Chancellor to reconsider."
"The people?" Li Ru sneered. "Or perhaps the people of Hongnong?"
Yang Biao turned sharply to glare at Li Ru, his brows furrowed and his hair seeming to bristle as he retorted, "The people of the realm are all subjects of the Son of Heaven! How can you speak of 'the people of Hongnong' as if they are separate?"
"Well said! Now, relocating the capital to Yongjing is for the long-term stability of the empire. If Hongnong's people are indeed subjects of the Son of Heaven, how dare they defy His Majesty's will?" Li Ru shot back without hesitation, immediately framing Yang Biao's words as an act of defiance.
Seeing Minister Yang Biao at a disadvantage against Li Ru, Grand Commandant Huang Wan also stepped forward, cupping his hands and saying, "Minister Yang speaks rightly. In the past, when Wang Mang usurped the throne and during the reign of the Gengshi Emperor and the Red Eyebrows rebels, Chang'an was burned to the ground, reduced to rubble. The people were displaced, with scarcely one or two out of a hundred remaining. To abandon the palaces now for barren lands is most unwise."
Huang Wan's ancestral home was not in Sili, but he had been exiled for nearly two decades during the Partisan Prohibitions (党锢之祸). It was only toward the end of the Guanghe era, under the recommendation of the then-Grand Commandant Yang Ci (Yang Biao's father), that he regained his freedom and returned to office. Thus, when the Yang family of Hongnong faced this calamity, Huang Wan had no choice but to step forward and voice his stance...
Li Ru was well aware that relocating the population was a massive and brutal undertaking, but for the sake of broader strategic considerations, how could he leave these people behind for the eastern warlords and gentry to exploit?
Thus, Li Ru sidestepped the issue entirely, seizing instead on Huang Wan's mention of Chang'an's ruined state to retort, "What an eloquent reference to Wang Mang's usurpation! Grand Commandant Huang speaks as though it were yesterday—do the flames of the Red Eyebrows still burn after two hundred years? Besides, Longyou is right at our doorstep. Should there be any shortages in materials—be it bricks, tiles, timber, or stone—they can be procured in an instant! Who would have thought the Grand Commandant had such an interest in construction? Perhaps you could oversee the project yourself when the time comes."
"Hmph!" Huang Wan naturally detected the mockery in Li Ru's words, as well as the veiled threat in his final remark. With a cold snort, he fell silent. After all, he had already done his part by speaking up for the Yang family...
On the throne, the young Emperor Liu Xie, though of tender age, had experienced far too much in recent times. His once-carefree spirit had been forcibly matured by the relentless upheavals of the court. Though he now possessed a steadiness beyond his years, he understood that relocating the capital was no trivial matter. Seeing Yang Biao and Huang Wan silenced, he turned his hopeful gaze to the remaining two: Minister of Works Xun Shuang and Grand Mentor Yuan Wei...
Yuan Wei remained motionless, head bowed like a wooden statue, as if rooted to the spot in the grand hall.
Liu Xie strained to discern Yuan Wei's expression, but from his vantage point, all he could see was the tall ceremonial headdress—nothing of the man's face or emotions.
Helpless, the emperor turned his eyes to Minister of Works Xun Shuang, thinking to himself, 'Didn't Dong Zhuo just send troops to attack Yingchuan? As a native of Yingchuan, surely you won't side with him now?'
Xun Shuang, feeling the emperor's gaze upon him, hesitated for a long moment before sighing softly and stepping forward. "...The matter of relocating the capital is of grave importance and cannot be decided in haste. Might we postpone further discussion?"
At these words, Liu Xie's previously upright posture slumped in defeat...
Dong Zhuo glanced at Xun Shuang, then fixed his gaze on the still-bowed Yuan Wei, a mocking smile playing at his lips before he declared, "This court is dismissed!"
With that, Dong Zhuo rose first, hand on his sword, and strode out with an air of triumph.