Free Web NovelChapter 253: Discussing the Capital Relocation
Chang’an City.
White clouds drifted leisurely, and birds flew in circles.
The sky was a deep blue, beautifully setting off the grand and magnificent city of Chang’an.
Inside the Imperial City, the morning court session officially began.
The ministers and officials solemnly lined up outside the palace, as the sound of the bell echoed heavily across the entire palace.
The ministers then slowly entered the palace.
Leading the group was Long Chen, dressed today in a blue and white brocade robe with a jade belt, exuding nobility.
Long Chen’s face was as handsome as jade, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, making him an exceptionally handsome man, standing out among the elderly and frail ministers.
By rights, it should have been these old ministers leading Long Chen forward, not the other way around.
After entering the hall,
All the ministers knelt and shouted:
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Only Long Chen had the special privilege of not kneeling. He merely bowed and clasped his hands in salute to the current Emperor, Liu Xie, on the dragon throne.
Even so, no one dared to voice any objections; instead, they respected him greatly.
The reason was simple: Long Chen’s army was currently guarding all the key routes within Chang’an, watching every corner of the city like tigers.
Any sign of trouble would be swiftly dealt with.
Therefore, no one dared to confront Long Chen directly, as the consequences would be dire...
However, Long Chen always governed with "virtue," and even if someone did openly defy him, he would only smile on the surface and then...
A young eunuch with a delicate appearance, dressed in gray-black official attire, spoke in a sharp voice:
"Those who have matters to report, step forward. If there are none, court is dismissed!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the officials kept their eyes on their noses, and their noses on their hearts, remaining silent.
The current situation was clear: Chang’an was Long Chen’s domain, especially after Long Chen’s previous show of force, everyone was in awe of him.
Since Long Chen had not yet spoken, they naturally dared not speak up.
The atmosphere became tense.
Suddenly, Long Chen stepped forward and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, one of my subordinates who is skilled in astrology observed the stars last night and saw that the Ziwei Star has moved eastward.
This signifies the arrival of auspicious energy from the east and that the dragon’s energy has fallen in the southeastern land of the Han dynasty, which is an auspicious sign for the revival of the Han!"
After he finished speaking, several elderly officials, about sixty years old, opened their tightly closed eyes, revealing looks of shock.
They were all cunning old foxes with meticulous minds, and from Long Chen’s initial words, they had already guessed what he was going to say next.
This Long Chen... actually wants to move the capital!
As for where to move the capital, they all understood that it could only be Yangzhou and nowhere else.
If the capital relocation were to happen, it would be far more serious than when Dong Zhuo moved the capital from Luoyang to Chang’an.
The families backing these old officials were all top aristocratic families of the Han dynasty, with retainers spread across the country, but their stronghold was always in the Sili region and its surrounding areas.
And Yangzhou was not within their sphere of influence...
If the capital were really moved, their interests would suffer severely...
But... opposing Long Chen would have even worse consequences.
They were well aware of Long Chen’s actions in Yangzhou, where he had ruthlessly wiped out entire aristocratic families.
For a moment, these old foxes did not dare to act rashly.
On the dragon throne, Liu Xie, upon hearing this, held the dragon-headed armrest and asked: freewebnovёl.ƈom
"Oh! What should I do then?"
Long Chen bowed again and said:
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, since the Ziwei Star has moved eastward, it is fitting for the Han capital to also move eastward.
And Yangzhou is the land of revival for the Han dynasty!"
As soon as Long Chen finished speaking, a young man dressed in a light purple brocade robe with a jade belt stepped forward and said:
"Yes, yes! Your Majesty, I believe every word of Governor Long is true. Moreover, Chang’an is currently surrounded by threats.
To the west, the traitors of Xiliang have not given up their rebellious hearts, and to the north, Yuan Shao of Jizhou harbors ill intentions. Only Yangzhou in the east is a safe place.
Yangzhou is the domain of our Han’s champion marquis, Long Chen, and he has been governing it for several years. Its safety is top-notch.
If Your Majesty moves to Yangzhou, you will be safe and sound, and this will enable the revival of the Han dynasty!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xie fell into deep thought, while Long Chen discreetly gave the man a look of approval.
That man was none other than Long Chen’s planted agent in the court—Yang Xiu.
Yang Xiu had previously lived in the home of Long Chen’s father-in-law, Wang Yun, and had long been loyal to Long Chen, joining him several months ago.
After Wang Yun’s death, Yang Xiu fully committed himself to working under Long Chen.
Yang Xiu was the son of former Grand Commandant Yang Biao, and his family background was extremely prestigious, rivaling that of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, who came from four generations of high-ranking officials.
Recommended by his father, Yang Biao, the Han Emperor Liu Xie appointed him as the Minister of Ceremonies.
This position, with a salary rank of one thousand bushels, came with a bronze seal and black ribbon, responsible for overseeing sacrifices and ceremonies, managing various offices, and supervising tombs and cities.
Despite his young age, his position was not minor, influenced by both Long Chen’s power and his father Yang Biao’s influence. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
In summary,
Yang Xiu’s words in the court carried significant weight, representing the intentions of the top-tier Yang family.
Therefore, the officials present had to consider the immense power of the Yang family.
Although Liu Xie was young, he was wise beyond his years; otherwise, Dong Zhuo would not have favored him back then, even going so far as to depose the emperor and establish a new one.
Seeing the situation as it was, Liu Xie wanted to wait and see if any other high-ranking officials would come forward to oppose it.
Because if he truly moved the capital to Yangzhou, it would mean complete control by Long Chen.
The current situation was clear: Long Chen was the real ruler behind Chang’an, and he was the master of the city.
Previously, Liu Xie had placed his hopes for the revival of the Han dynasty on Long Chen.
But after truly witnessing Long Chen’s capabilities, he abandoned that idea.
The reason was simple: Long Chen was too powerful, too exceptional.
When Liu Xie once expressed his intention to take back military power from Long Chen, he felt an intense and terrifying killing intent.
That killing intent was something Liu Xie could never forget, as cold and piercing as the icy winds of the Nine Hells.
Just that wave of coldness could easily kill him...
Since then, he understood Long Chen’s true intentions. On the surface, Long Chen claimed to support the Han dynasty, but in reality, he was the master.
As for himself, the emperor, he was probably just a pawn in Long Chen’s hands!
A deep sense of helplessness weighed on him like Mount Tai.
At his age, he should have been studying in a classroom, but now he had to face the survival of the Han dynasty.
The pressure was unimaginable.
Seeing Liu Xie still lost in thought, Long Chen had to speak up to remind and urge him.
