Volume 1: Kyoto Winds and Clouds Chapter 23: Ransoming a Crime with Gold, Cheating the Yuan Family

  The next day, the memorials of Liu Yan, Yuan Wei, Yuan Fang and the governor of Luoyang were placed in front of Emperor Ling. These memorials only mentioned one thing: the contradictions and conflicts between Liu Zhang and Yuan Shao. However, the governor of Luoyang only narrated the course of events, while Yuan Fang and Yuan Wei pushed all the responsibility onto Liu Zhang, and Liu Yan even submitted a memorial of self-accusation, in which he made a profound self-criticism for his failure to educate his son properly and promised to do better in educating Liu Zhang in the future.

  This way, the pros and cons are clear. Firstly, the governor of Luoyang had no personal interest in the matter with the Yuan family or Liu Yan, so his report is the most credible. Secondly, four reports said the same thing but with different accounts from three parties, and Liu Yan even took the blame, making people think he was forced to do so. With the influence of the Yuan family, people tend to sympathize with the weak, which shifts the blame to the Yuan family, without causing any resentment. Lastly, and most importantly, Liu Zhang was only five years old. A five-year-old child leading a revenge, who would believe that? Generally, at the age of five, children are still playing in the mud!

  As a result, all the civil and military officials in the court believed Liu Yan's statement and made a judgment to punish Liu Zhang and others. Liu Zhang, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu were the main culprits. Considering that Liu Zhang was young, he was caned 20 times as a warning. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had already come of age, but they still bullied a five-year-old child, so they were caned 80 times each. The others who followed them were caned 50 times each.

  The verdict was announced, and everyone was stunned. Yuan Wei and Yuan Fang were even more stunned, eighty lashes with a stick, even if they could survive, would be left with no more than half their lives. But when they heard that the five-year-old Liu Zhang also had to endure twenty lashes, the two men felt somewhat relieved, thinking it wasn't unfair after all, since Liu Zhang was only five years old. However, Liu Yan's next sentence left Yuan Fang and Yuan Wei stunned!

  "Your Majesty, my son is young and I, as his father, have failed in my duty to educate him. I am willing to take the punishment on his behalf!"

  "Your Majesty, it's not right. One person does something and another person takes the punishment? Is that possible?" Beating Liu Yan twenty times with a stick is completely different from beating Liu Zhang. Liu Yan is over forty years old, twenty lashes won't have much impact on him as long as they don't beat him to death. But if Liu Zhang were to receive twenty lashes, it's likely that the young master would be beaten into an idiot!

  "Liu Yan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said: 'Your Majesty, Hebei Province is currently suffering from disaster, and there is also a law in the Han Code that allows for commutation of punishment with money. I am willing to pay 50,000 coins per stroke to redeem my son's 20 strokes of punishment!'"

  50,000 coins are not a lot. In terms of the exchange rate between copper coins and silver or gold, 50,000 coins are equivalent to 50 taels of silver or 5 taels of gold. Liu Zhang's 20 lashes could be redeemed for only 1,000 taels of silver or 100 taels of gold! However, if Liu Zhang were really allowed to redeem his punishment with gold, Yuan Wei and Yuan Feng would not get to see the joke, and they would also have to ransom Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. The ransom money for Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu is nothing, but there are nearly 100 young masters from noble families with them. If these people were allowed to redeem their own punishment, the reputation of the Yuan family would stink in the hearts of these nobles. But if the Yuan family paid the fine on their behalf, it would be a tragedy for the Yuan family's finances!

  It's hard to advance or retreat, and there's no way to persuade them to stop, this is the current situation of Yuan Wei and Yuan Fang. Throughout history, as long as it wasn't a heinous crime, the court would agree to let meritorious sons redeem their punishment with gold, let alone Liu Zhang who was still a member of the Han imperial clan!

  Liu Hong wanted exactly this effect, and he said with great satisfaction: "The imperial uncle is loyal to the country, since he has a heart to donate money for the country, I won't stop him either. After all, Liu Zhang is young and ignorant, so let the imperial uncle strictly control him, if he offends again, it won't be so easy to talk! Hand over the money to the Minister of Finance, and then go to the Prefect of Luoyang to take charge!"

  "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Liu Yan said after thanking him: "I will pay the money soon!"

  "Hmm!" Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction: "Do the various officials have any other business? If not, then let's dismiss the court! As for the others who fought on the street yesterday, order the newly appointed governor of Luoyang to carry out the punishment. If anyone dares to cover up or plead for leniency, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

  Yuan Wei and Yuan Fang took a look, the Emperor is intentionally dealing with those aristocratic young masters! Originally they still wanted to privately find the Luoyang Magistrate to plead for leniency, asking him to be light-handed or not to punish at all. But now that the Emperor has spoken, they knew it was useless to try to persuade the Luoyang Magistrate again. However, they couldn't just watch their own sons get beaten, nor could they watch other aristocratic young masters get beaten because of this matter, after all, this was a disaster caused by the Yuan family. Yuan Wei hastily stepped forward: "Your old minister has something to say!"

  "Ta Wei!" Liu Hong laughed and said: "You're not thinking of pleading for Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao, are you? I advise you to spare yourself the trouble! The son of the Minister of Rites, Liu Zhang, is only five years old this year. If he does something wrong, he must be punished. As for Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, they have already come of age, haven't they?! Such big men, still bearing grudges against a child, what great abilities indeed! This time we must teach them a lesson, otherwise Luoyang would become a place without laws! Especially that Yuan Shu, who has become so arrogant! Is it tolerable? What is not tolerable?"

  "Your Majesty! My family, the Yuans, are also a meritorious family. Although Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao have committed no small fault this time, now is an extraordinary period, I am willing to ransom them with gold!"

  "Oh!" Just as Liu Hong was about to descend from the throne, he returned and said: "Both of you are willing to make an effort for the country, how can I refuse! However, how much money are you prepared to pay to redeem your sons' guilt? If it's too little, I won't agree!"

  Yuan Yi glanced at Liu Yan and thought for a moment: "Can it be done according to the standard of the Grand Master..."

  "Hmph!" Emperor Liu Hong coldly snorted: "Liu Zhang is only five years old this year, so I'll spare him! How can your two sons, the Yuans, only be compared to a five-year-old? I heard they've already been recommended as Filial and Incorrupt? Cao Qing! The matter of punishment will be left to you. Later, go to the Prefect of Luoyang and transmit the edict. From now on, all those who cause trouble in Luoyang will be reported to me and punished according to the law!"

  "The old minister obeys the order!" Cao Jie bowed his head to receive the order, and with ill intentions, glanced at Yuan Wei and Yuan Fang, scaring them into a tremble!

  "Your Majesty, I am willing to redeem the punishment at three times the price!" Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao were almost seventeen or eighteen years old, roughly three times Liu Zhang's age.

  "Hmm!" Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction: "Since both of you, Yuan Ai, are so loyal to me, I won't force it too much. Let's redeem the crime at three times the price! As for others, what do you say? If there is no one willing to redeem the crime with gold, I will order the Luoyang commander to execute them! Cao, you go and supervise the execution!"

  Yuan Wei and Yuan Fang exchanged a glance, and Yuan Wei said: "Your Majesty, those people were invited by my son. If they are to be executed because of this matter, wouldn't it be my responsibility? I beg Your Majesty to show mercy!"

  "The Son of Heaven who commits a crime will be punished the same as common people!" Cai Yong saw Liu Hong's intention and immediately stood up to say: "Even if Your Majesty has made mistakes, you must be punished. Those aristocratic sons do not respect the laws of the state. When someone commits a crime, they not only fail to stop them but also help them to commit further atrocities. I request that the old minister be severely punished as a warning to others!"

  "Ts'ai Yung..." Yuan Wei gritted his teeth and said: "This matter is my family's child causing trouble, we have already taken responsibility for it, why must innocent people be implicated?"

  "Innocent?! " Cai Yong angrily said: "If they were just bystanders, then they would indeed be innocent! But they sent their family slaves to participate in the battle. If this is still considered innocent, wouldn't Zong Zheng's son be even more innocent? Liu Zhang simply went to a wine shop to eat and was insulted by people. If his bodyguards were not strong enough, his life would have been lost at the hands of those pampered sons! I beg Your Majesty to clearly investigate!"

  Liu Hong saw Cai Yong's righteous indignation, but he winked at him and immediately understood what Cai Yong meant. Liu Hong said: "The Taifu's words are extremely correct! If the Yuan family wants to take all the blame on themselves, then they cannot let Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao be redeemed with gold! Plotting against the imperial clan and besieging the country's officials are all capital crimes, and it seems that the two Yuans also have some involvement!"

  Yuan Feng and Yuan Wei looked at each other, this can't be helped, they had to spend money to avoid disaster! Eighty rods were nothing, but if Cao Jie came to beat them, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao would not be able to withstand it! Moreover, those aristocratic young masters, more or less, all had some connection with the Yuan family. This fierce man Cao Jie would never show mercy, unless those aristocrats changed their allegiance, which would be digging up the foundation of the Yuan family.

  "Your Majesty, I am willing to pay the fine for others with gold, but those people were all instigated by Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao. Please show some mercy! Yuan Wei saw that things could not be turned around, so he had to swallow this bitter pill, but he still wanted to give less money."

  "Are you opening one side of the net?" Liu Hong sneered, "If I weren't opening one side of the net, I would have had them all killed long ago! In the streets of Luoyang, they actually gathered nearly three hundred people to fight with weapons, and there are still house slaves and imperial guards arriving continuously. What do they want to do? Rebel? I don't want to pursue it anymore, but you won't let go. I'm tired, so I'll give you one more day to consider. Tomorrow, I want to get an answer: either redeem your crimes with gold or be executed!" Liu Hong finished speaking and left with a flick of his sleeve, leaving the entire court staring at each other in shock.

  Yuan Wei and Yuan Fang immediately gathered all the family members of those involved in the case for a meeting. Among these people, many had already learned about the cause and effect after their children were caught. Zhou Yi's purpose in releasing those slaves was to inform them. Originally, in the eyes of these aristocratic families, fighting and brawling were against the law but only a small matter. But now that it has reached the Emperor, it has become a big deal, and everyone sensed that something was not right.

  There were clever people who had sent someone to investigate the situation at the Luoyang Commandery, and the miserable appearance of those young masters made the rulers of these aristocratic families even more shocked. A small Luoyang Commandery would not dare to treat those young masters of aristocratic families like this, the only possibility is that someone instructed them to do so. Adding the emperor's attitude, who can't understand that this is someone taking advantage of the situation? Understanding is one thing, but what to do about it is another matter, so everyone still chose to let Yuan Feng and Yuan Wei make decisions.

  After discussing for a long time, they also learned from the lower-ranking officials about the miserable situation of their children at home. Although it was only one day without food, these young masters who had always been dressed in fine clothes and enjoyed good food, when had they ever suffered such hardships? With no other choice, the Yuan family decided to pay a ransom to redeem their punishment. Otherwise, with the pampered nature of these young masters, after being beaten with a stick, they would at least have to lie in bed for ten days or half a month. And this matter was ultimately caused by the Yuan family, regardless of whether these young masters would bear a grudge against the Yuan family or not, neither Yuan Feng nor Yuan Wei could let such a thing happen!