Chapter 47: Embroidered Uniform Envoys, Inner Court Directorate

Liu Chen's words were like a sharp sword, piercing the heavy air within the hall. Looking into his son's resolute eyes, Liu Shan suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. He steadied himself against the dragon throne and slowly sat down, his fingers unconsciously tracing the carved dragon patterns on the armrest.

"The common people..." Liu Shan sneered. "Are the common people of any use? Those noble clans hold the wealth and grain; they are the foundation that supports the Han. If you slaughter them all, will anyone still be willing to serve you?"

Liu Chen glanced at him and smiled faintly. "When the Imperial Grandfather was defeated back then and wandered everywhere, what did he rely on to finally divide the realm into three? Benevolence and righteousness! The Imperial Grandfather was defeated at Xinye, yet the people of Xinye preferred to follow him across the river rather than submit to Cao Cao. That is the will of the people. Since ancient times, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the realm."

Hearing this, Liu Shan felt a surge of irritation and scoffed coldly, "You are truly too naive. Perhaps there is some truth in what you say, but contending for the realm is not that simple."

"Those who submit will prosper, and those who resist shall perish. It has always been so in any era. I want to see just how stubborn the noble clans of Sichuan truly are." A fierce light flashed in Liu Chen's eyes.

This matter concerned his very life; whoever dared to stand in his way would forfeit theirs. Even Liu Shan was no exception.

Seemingly sensing the murderous aura emanating from his son, Liu Shan let out a deep sigh.

"Speak then! Since the military forces are now entirely in your hands, how do you want me to cooperate with you?"

"Your son intends to establish a Cabinet to assist Your Majesty, dedicated to governing the affairs of Sichuan. Xijie, Fei Cheng, Jiang Bin, Dong Zhao, and Zhuge Xu shall serve as Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet."

"Reorganize the imperial court system with the Cabinet at its center, establishing eight ministries beneath it: Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, Works, Commerce, and Agriculture."

"Establish the Censorate to monitor and impeach officials of all ranks."

"Establish the Five Courts, including the Grand Court of Revision, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Court of Imperial Banquets, the Court of the Imperial Stud, and the Court of State Ceremonial. The Grand Court of Revision, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate shall form the Three Judicial司 to try major cases. The Minister of the Grand Court of Revision shall be one of the Nine Ministers. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices shall manage sacrificial rites; the Court of the Imperial Stud shall manage horses; the Court of Imperial Banquets shall be responsible for birthday banquets; and the Court of State Ceremonial shall receive foreign guests."

"Mi Wei shall be the Commander of the Imperial Guards, and Huang Chong shall serve as the Prefect of Chengdu."

"Your son also plans to establish the Imperial Military Academy of Great Han and the Imperial Confucian Academy of Great Han. The former will recruit military officers and generals as students to teach the art of marching and warfare, while the latter will recruit ambitious men from among the common people to teach subjects such as encouraging agriculture and the laws of the Han. I shall serve as the Chancellor of both academies."

...

Liu Shan stared fixedly at Liu Chen, his eyes filled with shock, and even more so with bewilderment. He had never imagined that his son could be this formidable.

It was as if he was seeing him truly clearly for the first time. The sunlight shining from outside the hall cast Liu Chen's silhouette long and sharp, resembling a drawn sword with its keen edge fully exposed.

"You... where did you come up with these ideas?" Liu Shan's voice was somewhat hoarse. He had never expected Liu Chen to harbor such meticulous planning, nor had he ever imagined he would be driven to such a plight.

Liu Chen smiled slightly, his gaze resolute and stern. "Your Majesty, during this recent campaign, this son witnessed firsthand the suffering of the common people, the rampant tyranny of the noble clans, and yet no one in the court dared to speak out. If we do not reform now, the Han will ultimately collapse. This son refuses to sit idly by."

Liu Shan remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh. "Do you know how massive a backlash such drastic reforms will provoke? Will those noble clans submit so easily?"

He finally saw through it. Liu Chen's reforms concentrated power in the Cabinet and the Six Ministries, with the Cabinet being the most crucial.

Among the five men in the Cabinet, aside from Xijie who could barely be considered a native of Sichuan, Fei Cheng's son, Jiang Bin, and Dong Zhao were the sons of Fei Yi, Jiang Wan, and Dong Yun respectively. They belonged to the Jingzhou faction. After the deaths of the three ministers, they had been ostracized by Sichuan officials, either resigning to study at home or holding minor, neglected posts. These men all belonged to the Jingzhou faction.

Zhuge Xu was a surrendered general and could only rely on Liu Chen.

Mi Wei was the son of Mi Zhu and belonged to the founding follower faction.

In this way, Liu Chen had essentially abandoned the powerful noble clans of Sichuan.

"If they do not submit, they will find only death." Liu Chen's voice was icy cold, devoid of the slightest emotion. "This son has already ordered people to secretly gather evidence of their crimes. Any sign of unrest will be met with immediate arrest. Those who submit shall retain their wealth and honor; those who resist shall have their entire clans exterminated."

Liu Shan felt a jolt in his heart. He had never witnessed such a ruthless side to his son. Yet, at this moment, he lacked the strength to argue. The military power was in Liu Chen's hands, and the court officials were largely under his control; as emperor, he had long since become a mere figurehead.

"So be it... Since you have already made up your mind, I... I shall yield to you." Liu Shan slumped dejectedly against the dragon throne, appearing to age ten years in a single instant.

Liu Chen bowed deeply, his tone softening slightly. "Your Majesty need not worry; everything this son does is for the revitalization of the Han. Once the situation stabilizes, Your Majesty shall still be the sovereign of all under heaven."

Liu Shan gave a bitter smile and offered no reply. He knew that from this moment on, the political skies of the imperial court had changed.

He clapped his hands, and a eunuch walked into the hall.

"Summon Zhang Chun."

Liu Shan sighed.

Liu Chen looked at him with great curiosity.

"The survival of the late emperor in dividing the realm into three was inseparable from two merchants back then," Liu Shan explained. "They provided the late emperor with vast amounts of wealth and grain."

"Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang!" Liu Chen immediately thought of those two names.

"Zhang Chun is the grandson of Zhang Shiping, specifically tasked with gathering intelligence for our Han. He is the General of the Embroidered Uniforms," Liu Shan said softly, "at the head of the Embroidered Envoys, monitoring the realm."

"There is also Su Xing, the descendant of Su Shuang, who specifically commands the Inner Court Department. Our Han currency flowing into Wei and Wu is his doing."

Liu Shan revealed a profound secret.

One had to admit that Shu Han's financial policy was remarkably formidable. Among the Three Kingdoms, Shu Han possessed the weakest overall strength, yet its currency circulated freely within Wei and Wu, allowing them to plunder vast quantities of strategic resources.

Otherwise, Shu Han's finances could never have sustained the extravagant expenditures of Zhuge Liang and Jiang Wei.

Hearing this, Liu Chen's pupils contracted sharply. He had never imagined that the late emperor had laid down such secretive forces in the shadows. The Embroidered Envoys, the Inner Court Department... these were names he had never even heard of before.

"Your Majesty means..." Liu Chen's voice tightened slightly.

Liu Shan slowly stood up, retrieved a bronze tally tiger from a hidden compartment in the imperial desk, and handed it toward Liu Chen. "Since things have reached this point, these forces should also be handed over to you."

Liu Chen accepted the tally tiger, seeing the two characters "Embroidered Uniforms" engraved upon it. It felt cold and heavy in his hand. He looked up at Liu Chen and noticed a trace of relief flashing through his father's eyes.

"Zhang Chun is already waiting outside the hall for your decree," Liu Shan said softly. "He will tell you everything."

Liu Chen took a deep breath and turned toward the hall doors. The moment he pushed them open, a middle-aged man dressed in plain robes stood quietly on the steps, his appearance so ordinary it was instantly forgetful.

"This subject, Zhang Chun, General of the Embroidered Envoys, pays respects to Your Highness." The man bowed, his voice as plain and unremarkable as his face.