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At this moment, Fei Qian truly did not know how to make his choice. Perhaps Cao Cao was the most ideal candidate, but Fei Qian clearly understood that given his current seating arrangement, choosing Cao Cao was already out of the question.
He had only managed to secure a seat in the front row alongside Yi Ji by borrowing the banner of Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province. This represented his status as a minor warlord in his own right. Meanwhile, the pitiable Cao Cao couldn't even secure a seat in the front row and had to sit behind Zhang Miao, symbolizing that he was merely a subordinate under Zhang Miao's faction.
To bypass Zhang Miao and nominate Cao Cao?
Even if he spoke up, he would likely be ridiculed. Not only him, but his mentors—Cai Yong and Pang Degong—would also be mocked for having taught a disciple who understood neither hierarchy nor propriety.
I know you are the best candidate, but I truly cannot choose you.
Fei Qian considered abstaining like Bao Xin, but as he glanced toward Cao Cao, he noticed Cao Cao seemingly signaling something with his eyes.
Following Cao Cao's gaze, Fei Qian was surprised to see that Cao Cao was hinting at Yuan Yi.
No—not Yuan Yi, but Yuan Shao, whom Yuan Yi had nominated. Is Cao Cao suggesting that I nominate Yuan Shao?
This…
Fei Qian hesitated. Nominating Yuan Shao would undoubtedly offend many. Earlier, Kong Zhou, the Inspector of Yu Province, had gone so far as to sing and perform, all but outright asking for Fei Qian's support. If he abstained, that would be one thing, but openly nominating Yuan Shao would surely anger Kong Zhou, as well as Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao, who were aligned with him. Even Qiao Mao, the Grand Administrator of Dong Commandery, might hold a grudge.
Just as Fei Qian was struggling with the decision, he noticed Cao Cao, standing behind Zhang Miao, solemnly cupping his hands in a silent plea.
Fine!
After much deliberation, Fei Qian finally found an alternative angle to approach the matter. Without directly declaring his support for anyone, he spoke up.
"Forgive my presumption, but may I ask what the Marquis of Kangxiang, Yuan Benchu (Yuan Shao), and the General of the Rear, Yuan Gonglu (Yuan Shu), are currently occupied with?"
Zhang Chao, being straightforward and quick-tongued, immediately replied, "I do not know about the General of the Rear, but the Marquis of Kangxiang is currently in Ye County, conducting a ceremony to assume imperial authority…"
For a moment, the entire hall fell into silence. Even Zhang Chao seemed to realize the gravity of his own words, his mouth hanging open in stunned realization.
Fei Qian cupped his hands, indicating that he had nothing further to add.
Beside him, Yi Ji curled his lips slightly and whispered in an extremely low voice, "...Ziyuan… truly brilliant… a masterstroke of a response…"
Though Fei Qian appeared calm and composed on the outside, his heart was pounding wildly. This question had been a spur-of-the-moment idea, intended to subtly highlight Yuan Shao's seniority over Yuan Shu and pave the way for nominating Yuan Shao. Yet, Zhang Chao's inadvertent revelation had provided the perfect answer, rendering further elaboration unnecessary.
In truth, Fei Qian was also startled by this news. But judging from the reactions in the room, it seemed Kong Zhou, Zhang Miao, and even Liu Dai's faction were already aware of it—whereas he was hearing it for the first time.
Assuming imperial authority!
Yuan Shao truly has the guts!
There was no way Emperor Liu Xie could have issued any edict to Yuan Shao at this time. So, by holding this ceremony under the pretense of "upholding the emperor's will," wasn't Yuan Shao essentially granting himself unchecked power?
Fei Qian recalled Zhang Miao's earlier ambiguous words and cursed inwardly. That bastard Zhang Miao was indeed trying to deceive me. If Yuan Shao is busy with this, he definitely won't be coming to Suanzao.
A ceremony to assume imperial authority was a grand affair, requiring the construction of an altar and days of ritual purification. There was no way Yuan Shao could simply abandon it and rush here.
However, Yuan Shao's move was also an incredibly bold one. If the emperor were to so much as hint that Yuan Shao's claim was false, it would constitute the crime of forging an imperial edict—a direct violation of the emperor's authority to issue decrees.
In dynasties after the Han, forgery of imperial edicts was punishable by execution, sometimes even the extermination of three generations of the offender's family. However, during the Han Dynasty, the consequences of such an act were inconsistent. Perhaps it was because Han emperors still upheld the principle of shared governance with scholar-officials, or perhaps for other reasons, but historical records showed that while some were executed for forgery, others escaped unscathed.
During Emperor Wu's reign, when a fire broke out in Henei, destroying thousands of homes, the emperor sent Ji An to assess the situation. Upon seeing the impoverished people reduced to "fathers and sons eating each other," Ji An took matters into his own hands, using the imperial scepter he carried to open the granaries of Henei to relieve the starving populace. Afterward, he voluntarily surrendered the scepter and confessed to the crime of "forging an imperial decree."
Yet Emperor Wu declared that Ji An had acted out of benevolence and thus was not punished.
In contrast, during the Yuanding era of Emperor Wu's reign, Xu Yan was charged with the same crime but was deemed to have committed a grave offense. The Imperial Censor Zhang Tang impeached him, and the penalty was death.
Thus, during the Han Dynasty, forging an edict was not necessarily a punishable crime. Moreover, in the current political climate, Yuan Shao's declaration that he possessed an imperial edict allowing him to act on the emperor's behalf was nothing more than an "emperor's new clothes" scenario—everyone knew the truth, but no one would dare expose it.
Kong Zhou opened his mouth, glanced at Zhang Miao, and with a trace of resignation in his eyes, finally said, "Yuan Benchu, descendant of a line of Three Excellencies, bears the demeanor of a true hero. He is fit to be our alliance leader… Does this meet with the approval of all present?"
An eerie silence filled the tent before voices gradually rose in agreement. "Well said! The Marquis of Kangxiang shall be our alliance leader!"
Who would dare oppose this? If Yuan Shao was in the midst of assuming imperial authority and someone denied him the position of alliance leader, what was to stop him from declaring, under the pretense of an imperial edict, that so-and-so was incompetent and must be stripped of office?
Besides, why had everyone gathered in Suanzao in the first place?
Was it truly to wage war?
No—it was to advance their own political careers.
As for Yuan Shu, the General of the Rear, or Kong Zhou, well… Sorry, but you currently lack the authority that comes with an official title.
Even Qiao Mao, who had initially leaned toward Yuan Shu, ultimately compromised after careful consideration—for the sake of his own official position.
Kong Zhou's voice sounded somewhat hoarse as he announced, "In that case, we shall dispatch a fast horse to inform the Marquis of Kangxiang of his election as alliance leader. Additionally, an altar shall be constructed immediately for the oath-swearing ceremony…"
With that, the long-drawn-out meeting finally came to an end. The two most influential figures, Kong Zhou and Liu Dai, rose first and walked out side by side. The rest followed in order of precedence based on their seating arrangements.
As Kong Zhou passed Fei Qian, whether intentionally or not, he nodded slightly and murmured, "Well done," before leaving.
Zhang Miao, however, walked past without a word or even a glance, merely flicking his sleeve in Fei Qian's direction before exiting the tent. Zhang Chao shot Fei Qian a sidelong glare, his expression unfriendly, before following his brother out.
Fei Qian sighed inwardly. No matter how cautious he had been, no matter how skillfully he had framed his argument, he had still managed to make enemies.
Cao Cao, you really are a troublemaker…
*****
A/N: Emperor Wu's punishment for "harmless forgery" was merely a fine of four taels of gold—believe it or not. As for the unlucky Xu Yan, Imperial Censor Zhang Tang was a poor debater and initially lost the argument in court. Unfortunately for Xu Yan, his actions had violated Emperor Wu's salt and iron monopoly policies, so the emperor brought in a more skilled rhetorician to ensure Xu Yan's conviction and execution.