Chapter 84 – Miss Yuan’s Imperial Seal as a Dowry; The Path of Princes or The Path of the Emperor.
Translated by Bloodfalcon, Edited by Krayto
This is the last dedicated chapter of the week! Thank you everyone for your support.
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Its body is made completely of He Shi Bi jade, glittering and translucent with carvings at the bottom. Its four sides were casted using pure gold. On its top side there is a carving of five dragons, bottom side, there is something written
“The Mandate is received from Heaven, May He have Longevity and Prosperity”.
TL: For more information about the Imperial Seal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_Seal_of_the_Realm
“It can’t be!” Not mentioning the other people, Lu Bu also swallowed his saliva. Their eyes are flashing looking at that thing.
“Correct, this is Milord’s dowry – Heirloom Seal of the Realm or The Imperial Seal!” Said Yang Hong with serious face.
“That thing is made of He Shi Bi jade right?!” Liu Mang always thought that the Imperial Seal was made using normal jade, but, if it was made using normal jade how could it possibly be this alluring. This object is the embodiment of greed! He discovered exactly how wrong he was.
The base material for Imperial Seal is He Shi Bi jade. Originally, a person found this material in the State of Chu by a man named Bian He. He offered this stone to the king at the time claiming that it was a priceless treasure, the ignorant king however called it a normal stone so he cut off Bian He's left foot.
After he passed his son ascended the throne and once again Bian He offered this jade stone. And again the king calling it a normal stone cut off his right foot this time. Once he passed away, his son also ascended to the throne.
For the third time Bian He offered the stone, and finally the king realized the quality of the stone. In light of the discovery he named it the He Shi Be stone (The jade disc of He).
The jade was then stolen from Chu and eventually sold to the state of Zhao
The State of Qin hearing about the news offered the State of Zhao, 15 cities in exchange for that He Shi Bi jade.
TL: State of Chu and State of Zhao. Both are states from Warring States period called the Spring and Autumn Period, the same time when Confucius started to spread his teachings
Later, State of Qin destroyed the State of Zhao, and retrieved the He Shi Bi jade. After the entire l nation was pacified, the first Emperor of Qin, Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Ying Zheng assigned Li Si to create a script to be carved on that piece of jade
“The Mandate is received from Heaven, May He have Longevity and Prosperity” and then asked Sun Shou to carve it properly until it become a proper Imperial Seal.
TL: Again, want to know better about the history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_Seal_of_the_Realm
After Qin Dynasty fell, the Imperial Seal was received by Liu Bang and passed on from emperor to emperor for four hundred years, until it changed hands after Luo Yang was burnt to the ground by Dong Zhuo. Our Sun Jian, Sun Wentai, then salvaged it from a dry well.
Not long after Sun Jian took hold of it, he died eaten by his oath in front of 18 warlords.
He left behind the Imperial Seal for Sun Ce who then exchanged it to Yuan Shu with soldiers and horses, for his quest to gain independence from Yuan Shu.
When Old Yuan took hold of it, he proclaimed himself as Emperor. Right after he was deserted by friends and allies, and now finally died like a dog with no bone to bury.
Actually, you cannot blame Yuan Shu for being greedy, even Liu Mang looking at this Imperial Seal, his heart oozed with greedy intentions.
This is the symbol of sovereignty, this symbolizes that you are king of this nation. That piece of jade was shining, brimming with luster, it's as if there were rays of light coming out from it.
This stone value is too big, no wonder numerous heroes lost their life after obtaining this.
Chen Gong’s eyes were also shining when he saw that thing in Yang Hong’s palm.
Chen Gong who is a Confucian scholar, cannot possibly know about quality of material like gold or jade, but his gaze is fixated on those carving of characters. It is indeed Li Si’s script which Sun Shou crafted into the Imperial Seal.
“General Lu, I, Yang Hong with all that I have, would like to ask one question. Which path does General Lu want to tread?!” Said Yang Hong with an increased tone after seeing Lu Bu’s hesitation.
“Huh?!” Responded Lu Bu as he did not understand what Yang Hong is talking about.
Yang Hong then continues “General Lu, I would like to ask, which path you want to take? The path of prince or the path of emperor?!” Said Yang Hong with profound gaze toward Lu Bu.
“What do you mean by The path of prince or The path of the emperor?!” Lu Bu then shifted his gaze from Imperial Seal. That thing is really too attractive, it can drive people crazy.
“If General Lu takes the path of prince, then you can definitely establish a dynasty by your strength alone, and then you sit back and watch the political trend of the world! General Lu’s military power is second to none in this world, and because of that, no warlord would want to offend General Lu so easily! Isn’t that what Genera Lu is planning by going to Xinye to take refuge there?!”
Yang Hong is correct. This is exactly Chen Gong’s stratagem to Lu Bu, establishing a dynasty, making home base, increasing his forces and then sit back, and watch politics take place.
At Hebei, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are fighting for hegemony, Western Liang also has Ma Teng, Yi Province and Jing Province are both ruled by 2 Liu clansmen, both Imperial Uncles. In addition to Sun Ce at Jiangdong, Xinye is located right in the middle of them, so whenever Lu Bu wanted to fight for hegemony, he could just choose any one of them. Thus, that place is the place of opportunity, the land of opportunity.
TL: Heh, Land of opportunity, you think Xinye is USA????
“And, what about The Path of the Emperor?!” Lu Bu really didn't expect that Yuan Shu had a very capable person under him.
“The Path of the Emperor?!” Yang Hong looked at Lu Bu with one eye “Forgive me for being rude, General Lu. But the current General Lu’s foundation simply does not suffice if you want to take the path of emperor!” Yang Hong directly hit Lu Bu with the current truth.
What Yang Hong’s words meant was Lu Bu can only achieve so much by being a warlord. Once something happened with Boss Lu, it would result in complete ruin for Lu Bu's army
This middle-aged person dared to stand before Boss Lu and even attack him with the truth, this Yang Hong really had courage.
Liu Mang thought that Boss Lu will be angry, but who would have expected that Boss Lu casually asked “Yang Hong, please continue”
“If General Lu wants to take the path of the emperor, you must have two things.
The first is military force. A military force strong enough to strive for hegemony is the first prerequisite!”
Currently Lu Bu’s army has 5,000 people in Bing Province Heavy Cavalry, 3,000 people in Formation Breaker, 3,000 people in Urban Army, 10,000 foot soldiers and 5,000 bowmen. With the army strength of 26,000 men, it is enough for Lu Bu to compete for hegemony in this nation.
In this time in Huainan, no warlord can match Boss Lu’s prowess in war.
But, having strength is actually only the very first step in competing for hegemony in this nation.
If comparing strength, Lu Bu at the time when he invaded Yan Province and Xu Province, his strength was much stronger than the present. Even when he was besieged by Cao Cao in Xiapi, he also had 70,000 troops under him. Definitely cannot be compared with current Lu Bu who was just expelled from Xu Province by Cao Cao.
What Lu Bu wanted to do was to listen Yang Hong’s second point.
“The second point is fame!” Replied Yang Hong.
“Fame?!” Liu Mang smiled mockingly at Yang Hong’s discourse. When Yuan Shu proclaimed himself as emperor, his fame was over, only his infamy kept rising. Moreover, the entire Huainan only remembered Yuan Shu’s infamy as an oppressive tyrant.
Please do not look back when Liu Mang praised Yuan Shu at the banquet. That explanation is only for rebuking Chen Duan.
Seeing Liu Mang’s smile, how can Yang Hong not know what Liu Mang is thinking “My lord, although his proclamation as emperor is intolerable by the principles of righteousness, but he still had the Yuan family’s fame!”
Yuan Shu is Yuan Feng’s legal wife’s son. So we can say that he is the real spokesman of Yuan clan, and he represented one of the three sons of the fourth generation of the Yuan Family.
Thus Yuan Family clansmen are spreading throughout this nation. Yuan Shu has died, but Yuan Family has not died.
So, if Yuan Shu’s orphaned daughter were marry Liu Mang, these Yuan Family will definitely recognized Lu Bu’s army who took care this orphaned daughter.
TL: Yuan Feng is Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao’s father, they were born from different mothers, Yuan Shu’s mother is legal wife of Yuan Feng while Yuan Shao’s is Yuan Feng’s third wife.
“Nobles!” that's what Yang Hong meant. Marrying Yuan Shu’s daughter means you can have the support of nobles. After all, you are the son-in-law of a nobleman. Your social standing is also the same as them.
It is just like a merchant. A merchant who wants to stay in power surely will be close to a politician. And if that politician marries a family member of a merchant, that politician will surely make many policies in favor of that merchant.
Marrying Yuan Shu’s daughter is equal to obtaining the support of nobles.
Perhaps you want to think that due to the population of the ordinary people they are the majority influence and the nobles are the minority influence right? Well, you are completely wrong.
From ancient times to modern times. This whole world has being dominated by these noble families. The Eastern Han Dynasty is the pinnacle of noble’s existence in all of Chinese history.
All of these warlords, came out from noble families, such as Cao Cao’s family. Cao family consists of two noble families which are Cao clan and Xiahou clan. Yuan Shao is also one of three sons of the fourth generation of Yuan Family
When Liu Biao entered Jing Province, in order to appease Jing Province’s noble families, he quickly married the daughter of Cai family.
Liu Bei also married Madame Gan. Madame Gan’s origin is from Tao Qian’s wife’s clan.
Lu Bu also married Cao Bao’s daughter, however Cao’s family fame l simply cannot match the Yuan’s. In Xu Province, maybe Cao’s name is still famous, but it is unknown in other provinces.
TL: Cao Cao was adopted by Cao Teng, who at that time do not have son to carry his family name. Cao Cao originally come from Xiahou clan with name Xiahou Cao. Cao clan and Xiahou clan is very famous during Liu Bang’s time, for they helped him to rebuild the country. But Lady Cao’s of Cao family (Lu Bu’s wife) is a different Cao clan. Cao Cao and Xiahou is based in Chenliu, Yan Province. But Lady Cao family is based on Xu Province and not famous at all.
Lu Bu was also moved by his desire to walk the path of the emperor, but to exchange his daughter’s happiness for walking the path of emperor, is it really worth it?
“Milord only wanted to seek a good home for Miss to return to, she can be a sister wife. If General Lu still does not want to accept her, it is okay too. I will just leave this Imperial Seal for General Lu’s safekeeping, so Milord can rest in peace!” Said Yang Hong while holding the Imperial Seal.
Then he moved back to withdraw from Lu Bu’s presence. With these options Yang Hong also can see Lu Bu’s dilemma.
If he said OK, then he will be forever be remembered as a humane person who put his selfish desires aside for a better gain of his family, but if he rejected, then he will be marked as a selfish person. Yang Hong’s maneuver is really good.
Chen Gong also had not spoken. Although he also wants to make Lu Bu accept this Imperial Seal, this matter involves Lu Bu’s family, he as an outsider, how can he intervene?
“You go back first! Let me think about it more!” Lu Bu’s mind was split in two.
Which is more important his daughter’s happiness or his pursuit of the path of the emperor?! If it was before, when he was Governor of Xu Province, Lu Bu would definitely put aside his daughter’s happiness, because at that time for himself, the path of emperor was his goal.
After experiencing Xu Province’s chaos, Lu Bu has changed. Especially with Song Xian, Wei Xu, Hou Cheng and co. Their betrayal and their deaths caused him to change his attitude. He has sacrificed too much in his pursuit for the path of the emperor.
Yang Hong lowered his head and headed back to his tent, he put down the Imperial Seal on the table in Lu Bu’s big tent.
“Path of emperor! Path of emperor!” Lu Bu’s heart was very complex while holding the Imperial Seal.