Chapter 252: You've Made Me Suffer
In Yizhou, Liu Fan, after going through many hardships, excitedly met Liu Yan with the Chixiao sword and knelt on the ground.
Looking at his eldest son, who looked noticeably leaner and darker than before but whose eyes were brighter, Liu Yan, with trembling hands and eyes full of pity and relief, quickly helped him up.
"My son, you have suffered!"
When Liu Fan heard this, his nose felt sore.
The hardships he endured from Chang'an to Yizhou were beyond imagination. He suffered many wars, famines, and bandits, and experienced life and death several times. If it weren't for his strong will, he would not have survived.
Liu Fan looked around and saw that his father's confidants were all around him. He raised the Chixiao Sword with both hands and said loudly: "Father, this is the Chixiao Sword of our great ancestor. Liu Xie is dead, but with this sword, father can be crowned emperor."
Liu Yan was surprised when he heard this. He looked at the Chixiao Sword in Liu Fan's hand, which was more than three feet long, with delicate patterns and a blend of black and red, and his heart was surging.
Hold the hilt of the sword with one hand and the scabbard with the other.
He slowly drew out the long sword, which shone coldly and had a blade as sharp as frost and snow. Two seal characters were engraved on the sword: Chi Xiao.
"It really is the Scarlet Sky Sword!"
At this moment, Liu Yan was both surprised and happy.
He also had a dream of becoming an emperor in his heart, otherwise he would not have come to Yizhou just because of the prophecy that "Yizhou has the aura of an emperor".
Although after arriving in Yizhou, he immediately built the emperor's ceremonial guards, constructed large palaces, and even privately made the emperor's crown and robes.
But after all, the name is not right and the words are not convincing. Even if Yizhou is closed, he can only entertain himself in the palace and dare not announce it to the outside world.
And now, the opportunity has come!
"Bo Yu, how did you get this sword? Is Liu Xie really dead?" Liu Yan asked anxiously.
The civil and military officials in the hall exchanged glances secretly, and understood each other tacitly.
Liu Fan's expression darkened when he heard this: "Don't worry, father. I will explain this matter to you slowly."
"When I was trapped in Chang'an, I was fortunate to have a good friend who helped me. His name is Yuan Che, who is from Runan and is a few years older than me."
"He and I hit it off right away. When he learned of my situation, he was willing to lend a helping hand and suggested that I try to sow discord between Li Jue and Guo Si, leading them to fight each other. At the same time, he secretly allied with court officials and waited for an opportunity to welcome Liu Xie to flee westwards to free himself from his bondage."
"At first everything went smoothly, but just as I was escorting Liu Xie to flee westward, Li Jue's men arrived. In an emergency, all officials escorted Liu Xie to flee westward, but I was unfortunately left behind."
"Thanks to Yuan Che's cleverness, I was not caught. After Li Jue and Guo Si discovered that Liu Xie had fled west, they immediately led their troops to pursue him."
"Yuan Che helped me take the opportunity to retrieve the Scarlet Sky Sword from the palace and escape from Chang'an to prevent it from falling into the hands of treacherous people. I returned it to Liu Xie."
"However, not long after I escaped from Chang'an, I learned that Liu Xie had been killed, and the east of Chang'an had been blocked. I had no choice but to return to Yizhou first."
"We were also chased by soldiers from Xiliang along the way. In order to protect my son, Yuan Che led the pursuers away and was killed by the bandits."
Liu Fan couldn't help feeling regretful when he thought about the death of his best friend.
Liu Yan frowned slightly.
Although Liu Fan was courageous and knowledgeable, he was still too young and was caught up in the situation. In contrast, the experienced Liu Yan immediately noticed something was wrong.
The appearance of Yuan Che was too coincidental, and the story behind it did not stand up to scrutiny.
But the person is already dead, so it is hard to find out the truth. And no matter what the plan behind this is, he has definitely benefited from it.
With the Chixiao sword in hand, the eldest son returned, Liu Xie died, and the imperial seal fell into the hands of a treacherous minister, who declared himself emperor.
Now is the time for him, as a descendant of the Han Dynasty, to turn the tide and restore order. While Liu Yan was thinking, Zhang Song, who noticed the change in his expression, immediately stood up, knelt on the ground and advised: "My lord, the eldest son was able to return and brought the Chixiao Sword of Emperor Gaozu, which shows that the destiny is with you."
"Yizhou was originally the place where the dragon rose, and Emperor Gaozu used it to establish his empire. After Lord Zhu came, he rectified the administration, suppressed rebellions, and appeased the people. Now the country is at peace, and this year there have been many 'auspicious signs' in various places. This is the will of heaven."
"The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Now the princes in various places are in turmoil, and even the traitor Yuan has usurped the throne and proclaimed himself emperor. We urgently need someone to take charge of the situation."
"My lord is a relative of the Han royal family, highly respected and virtuous. You should obey the will of heaven, ascend the throne quickly, and announce it to the world to reassure the people!"
Liu Yan frowned slightly when he heard this, and waved his hand, saying, "Although I am a relative of the Han Dynasty, I do not have a seal or imperial edict. How can I claim to be an emperor privately? I am afraid that I will be criticized by the world."
Liu Zhang's confidant Zhao Wei heard this and stepped out and said, "My Lord! Emperor Ling only had two sons, both of whom are dead. Is there anyone in the world who is more suitable to be the emperor than you?"
"In an emergency, we must take the initiative. If you don't become emperor, how can you wipe out the bandits and revive the Han Dynasty? In such a critical moment, it is in line with the will of the people for you to become emperor. Please become emperor and revive the Han Dynasty."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding civil and military officials all said in unison: "Please let the lord be crowned emperor to restore the Han Dynasty!"
Liu Fan even directly hinted to the person behind Liu Yan, took out the emperor's crown and robes, and "forced" them to be put on Liu Yan.
Liu Yan looked "panicked and at a loss", and finally fell down on the throne that had been moved, and could not help but sigh: "Alas, you really made me suffer!"
"Well, if that's the case, I'll do it reluctantly."
"Thanks to the love of you all and the trust of the people, I have decided to follow the will of heaven, ascend the throne and proclaim myself emperor, and announce it to all quarters to bring peace to the world!"
Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials were excited.
……
The news that Liu Yan and Liu Yu had proclaimed themselves emperors quickly spread throughout the world.
One has the Scarlet Sky Sword, the other has the support of all officials, neither of them will give in. Plus Yuan Shu is the troublemaker.
At one time, three emperors appeared in the world.
After Liu Bei and some people under Yuan Shao learned the news, they also began to get ready to take action.
Fortunately, there are many wise and far-sighted people in their camps, and they are still sober and not getting carried away.
They knew very well that becoming emperor at this time would do more harm than good, and would only cause the Han Dynasty to completely lose its legitimacy. The person who would benefit the most would definitely be Tian Ze.
Therefore, Yuan Shao, who had always been secretly colluding with Cao Cao, suddenly began to claim to support Liu Yu, which was unusual.
Liu Bei, caught up in the situation, had to acknowledge Liu Yu as the emperor after weighing the pros and cons.
In this way, the alliance between the three parties, which had almost collapsed due to this incident, was stabilized again.
However, Liu Bei's actions created an indelible rift between him and Liu Yan.
Tian Ze, who was sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, smiled slightly after learning about the movements of all parties.
Make a noise! The louder the better!
Although the situation of many countries rising together during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period and the end of the Qin Dynasty did not reappear, the fact that two emperors coexisted in the world was enough.
The Han Dynasty's legitimacy was no longer stable.
What's more, it also cut off the possibility of an alliance between Liu Bei and Liu Yan, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
(End of this chapter)
