mtl008 Chapter 600 Complaint
Chapter 600 Complaint
After counting the money, Liu Shan led his men to reinstall the tomb door, refill the excavated soil, and restore the mausoleum to its original state before returning to the military camp to rest.
This is, after all, the tomb of our ancestors; we can't just ignore it like Cao Cao did after getting the money.
Those are my own ancestors, not my cousins.
On the way back to the military camp, the thousands of soldiers, including Zhang Sheng, suddenly felt much closer to His Highness the Crown Prince. There's a saying that goes, "Doing a bad deed with your leader is worse than doing a hundred good deeds for him." With this tomb raiding experience, they had become His Highness the Crown Prince's staunch supporters.
After a night's rest, he waved his hand and led his troops back to Jiangling. He was full of excitement when he came, but he was a little uneasy on the way back. How was he going to explain this to Liu Bei?
No matter what the reason, this beating was inevitable. After all, Liu Zhao had already gone to complain, and who knew how Liu Zhao would speak ill of him to Liu Bei?
Thinking of Liu Zhao, Liu Shan decisively abandoned any hope of escaping and began to think about how to withstand the beating.
The words are divided into two parts...
After scolding Guan Xing, Liu Zhao returned home and promptly packed his things. He then took two nephews and rode at top speed to Jiangling. Upon arriving in Jiangling, he did not delay and went straight to the palace after inquiring about the situation.
The palace was still not finished. Many luxurious tents were surrounded by fences. Outside the fence gate was a wooden frame with a large cowhide drum on it, which was called the Crying for Justice Drum.
As the name suggests, the grievance drum is used by ordinary people to appeal for justice when they encounter injustice.
This wasn't something Liu Bei set up specifically out of compassion for the people; it was passed down from Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang.
Legend has it that not long after Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, ascended the throne, one of his nephews, relying on his imperial status, acted recklessly. One day, he saw a beautiful young woman named Su Xiao'e on the street and was filled with evil thoughts. He tried to seduce her but was rejected, so he tried to kill her. Just then, a wandering knight happened to pass by and saved Su Xiao'e, but accidentally killed Liu Bang's nephew in the process. When Liu Bang learned of this, he ordered the knight to be arrested and executed.
Having escaped danger, Su Xiao'e was deeply uneasy upon learning that her benefactor was to be executed. She decided to force her way into the Golden Palace to see Liu Bang and explain the situation, but the palace was heavily guarded and she could not enter. Helpless, she came up with a plan: she and her sisters brought gongs and drums to the palace and beat them to appeal for justice. The frequent sound of gongs and drums alerted Liu Bang, who summoned her to the palace to inquire about the reason. He then personally investigated the case, released the wandering knight, and killed the lackey of the emperor's nephew who had framed him. The matter was thus resolved satisfactorily.
But this incident gave Liu Bang an idea. To make it easier for the people to file complaints, Liu Bang issued an edict that a drum and a bell must be set up at the entrance of government offices at all levels, and stipulated that officials must go to court when the drum and bell sound. In this way, the system of beating the drum to appeal for justice has been passed down ever since.
Liu Bei is now emulating his ancestor Liu Bang in everything he does. Therefore, as soon as he ascended the throne, he set up a grievance drum to welcome people to come and appeal their grievances. However, the grievance drum has not been used at all since its establishment.
Standing at the palace gate, Liu Zhao looked at the grievance drum and couldn't help but sigh, "Emperor Gaozu was wise."
After saying that, he took out a piece of white cloth from his bosom, knelt in front of the door, pulled it open forcefully, and held it high above his head. Upon closer inspection, three large, scrawled characters the size of washbasins were clearly written on the white cloth.
I'm innocent...
While holding up the banner, he nodded to his nephew, who walked to the grievance drum, picked up the drumstick, swung his arm, and struck the drum hard. The sound of the drum instantly traveled for miles and spread throughout the city.
Liu Bei, who was discussing matters with Zhuge Liang in the royal tent, was taken aback when he heard the drumbeat. After listening carefully for a moment, he frowned and asked, "The drumbeat is chaotic and irregular. It seems to be the grievance drum. Who is crying out for justice? Who dares to come to the palace gate to cry out for justice?"
No, I set up the grievance drum just for show. You're actually going to beat it?
Zhuge Liang was also somewhat surprised and said, "No matter who it is, we should quickly summon them in and ask them. Otherwise, things will become difficult when the officials who heard the drum come over."
Although the grievance drum has nothing to do with most officials, the people of the Han Dynasty love to join in the fun. If you don't get curious when you hear the grievance drum, you won't want to come and see what's going on and have something to talk about after dinner.
Thinking of the scene of the palace being surrounded by onlookers, Liu Bei said with some worry, "Shuzhi (Chen Dao), quickly bring the person in."
Chen Dao accepted the order and left, quickly bringing Liu Zhao into the royal tent. As soon as Liu Zhao entered, he knelt down with a thud, crying out loudly as he crawled on his knees, "Your Majesty, I have been wronged! You must do justice for me!"
Liu Bei stared at Liu Zhao for a long time before asking, "You are dressed in silk, so you must be from a noble family. If you are from a noble family, who would dare to wrong you? Could it be that you came here because of the land reform?"
The mention of land reform instantly darkened Liu Bei's expression. If it were an ordinary commoner like Su Xiao'e seeking justice, he would certainly uphold fairness. But if a member of the gentry came to seek justice because of land reform, they would be suing Liu Bei.
Liu Zhao sensed Liu Bei's displeasure and quickly said, "No, it's not because of the land reform. My name is Liu Zhao, and I am the head of the Liu family of Haihun, a descendant of Marquis Liu He of Haihun."
Liu Bei was taken aback and said, "A descendant of the Marquis of Haihun, so you are my relative? In that case, tell me what grievance you have and to whom you wish to sue?"
Liu Zhao immediately said, "This humble citizen is accusing Marquis Guan Xing of the Shence Army. That damned Guan Anguo is a scoundrel. A few days ago, he led his army to Haihun County and dug up the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun."
Liu Bei's expression changed drastically, and he stood up abruptly, pointing at Liu Zhao and asking incredulously, "What the hell? The Marquis of Shence dug up the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun, which is the tomb of the deposed emperor?"
There were many Marquises of Haihun, the most famous of whom was Liu He, the deposed emperor of Han, who was granted the title of Marquis of Haihun. The other Marquises of Haihun were Liu He's descendants.
Liu Zhao said with tears streaming down his face, "It is indeed the tomb of the deposed emperor. Your Majesty, my Haihun Liu family has no grudge against Marquis Shence. I don't even know him. He suddenly came to Haihun to steal my family's ancestral graves and disturb our ancestors' rest. This is too unreasonable. Your Majesty, you must do justice for me and for the lineage of Marquis Haihun!"
Liu Bei slammed his fist on the table in anger, saying, "This unfilial son, he's an absolute scoundrel!"
Guan Xing's tomb raiding is utter nonsense. It was clearly that bastard Liu Shan who did it. You should know that Guan Xing was with Liu Shan this time, which means that Liu Shan was the one in charge.
He finally found out what Liu Shan had been up to. It turned out that this unfilial son hadn't gone to Wushan to cut down trees, but had gone to Haihun to rob tombs. "You bastard, have you gone crazy for money? You even robbed your own ancestors' tombs!"
Liu Bei was so angry that his breathing became rapid and his blood rushed to his head. He stared at Liu Zhao and asked, "There are no outsiders here, so tell me directly, did the Crown Prince rob the tomb?"
Liu Zhao's heart skipped a beat and he quickly said, "No, His Highness the Crown Prince has been discussing water conservancy matters with Zhou Chang, the magistrate of Haihun County, and has not participated in this matter. The tomb raiding was the personal act of Marquis Shence and has nothing to do with His Highness the Crown Prince. His Highness the Crown Prince was completely unaware of it."
He dared not involve Liu Shan, not even in front of Liu Bei alone.
However, while this statement singled out Liu Shan, it also provided information that Liu Shan was also in Haihun.
What did Liu Shan go to Haihun for? Was it just to study water conservancy with Zhou Chang?
Are you kidding me?
Liu Bei said with a gloomy face, "Shuzhi, immediately send men to Haihun and bring these two rebellious sons back to me. Also, order the Minister of Works, Zhuge Jin, to gather craftsmen and make sure that the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun is restored to its original state. The Marquis of Haihun must not be disturbed in his rest."
"Minister Liu, you should stay in Jiangling for now. We'll discuss the rest when Marquis Shence returns. I will definitely give the Marquis of Haihun a proper explanation for this matter."
They can't not give an explanation; after all, the Marquis of Haihun was once an emperor, and if this isn't handled properly, the consequences will be too great.
Liu Zhao dared not say more, bowed, and took his leave.
Liu Bei watched his retreating figure, his face turning ashen with rage. After he left, he slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Damn it, those bastards!"