Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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Word was sent immediately. Jia Xu the Chancellor, Mi Zhu the Minister of Finance, and Chen Gong the Minister of Justice, were summoned without delay. Within the hour, the three stood in the main hall, bowed before the dragon throne, awaiting the Emperor’s command.

Jia Xu, ever perceptive, was the first to notice the cold fury simmering beneath Lie Fan’s calm exterior. The Chancellor bowed slightly. ”Your Majesty, you wished to speak with us?”

Lie Fan didn’t sit. He stood at the head of the chamber, his hands folded behind his back, the evening sun casting long shadows over the polished marble. She he heard Jia Xu’s word, his voice, when it came, was low and cold.

”Today, while dressed in plain robes, I walked with Zhen Ji through the outer markets. She wished to taste common food, see the lives of our people. We were followed by Oriole Agents, guarded discreetly. It was meant to be a quiet outing.”

The three ministers exchanged quick glances but said nothing.

Lie Fan continued. ”We were accosted by a merchant heir named Hao Tian, of the Hao Clan. He insulted me, harassed Consort Zhen, and even tried to lift her veil in front of me. He laid a hand on her, and in doing so, disgraced not only her but me as well.”

Now there was a shift in the room as a ripple of shock passed through them. Jia Xu’s expression darkened. Mi Zhu furrowed his brows deeply, and Chen Gong narrowed his eyes.

Mi Zhu, the Minister of Finance, frowned as he whispered to Jia Xu and Chen Gong. ”The Hao Clan? They are a merchant family, if I recall. Not particularly influential.”

Chen Gong, the Minister of Justice, stroked his beard thoughtfully and replied in a low voice as well. ”Yet arrogant enough to think themselves above reproach, it seems.”

Meanwhile, Lie Fan’s voice had changed. This was no longer a report. It was a storm.

”He did not know who I was, and that is no excuse. His conduct was lecherous, arrogant, and criminal. He behaved like he owned the streets of Xiapi. His guards dared to draw weapons on my escort.”

”Your Majesty,” Chen Gong was the first to speak, said slowly, ”the charges are clear. Attempted assault upon a royal consort, treasonous disrespect to the person of the Emperor, attempted incitement of violence in public. The punishment should be death.”

Mi Zhu cleared his throat, cautious as always. ”The Hao Clan is a merchant family of moderate wealth, with some holdings in textile and river trade. They have no military power, but they have connections in several mid level offices. Their downfall would not create unrest, but...”

”But?” Lie Fan turned his gaze to him.

Mi Zhu hesitated. ”Their influence among merchant circles might ripple. Others may question whether Your Majesty and the court punish too harshly.”

Lie Fan looked at Jia Xu.

The Chancellor’s voice was smooth, assured. ”Your Majesty, the heavens have given you an opportunity. Show the merchants that the crown tolerates no affront, even if Your Majesty has shown leniency to the merchant caste. And show the people that their Emperor walks among them, and that he will not allow even the smallest dishonor to stand.”

”Good,” Lie Fan nodded. ”Then here’s what we will do.”

He stepped forward, his eyes gleaming.

”Gongtai, you will oversee the trial personally. Let it be a public trial. Let the people hear every insult this man spoke. Gather witnesses and evidence of what he has done. Have Concubine Zhen’s name protected.”

”Yes, Your Majesty.”

”Zizhong. I want you to audit the Hao Clan. Seize their ledgers. I want to know where their money flows, who the officials they have dealings with. Any sign of corruption, we purge it. If their wealth was gained through exploitation, strip it from them. Redistribute what is just to the people.”

”Understood, Your Majesty.”

”Wenhe. Use this opportunity to remind the governors, administrators, prefects, and officials of their conduct. Issue a proclamation, the Emperor will not be insulted. The court will protect the people and the imperial family alike, it doesn’t see what status someone has. If anyone questions our justice, tell them about the mercy I showed to the people of Silla and Baekje.”

Jia Xu gave a faint smile and bowed. ”It shall be done, Your Majesty.”

Lie Fan took a slow breath. The flames within had not yet abated. Hao Tian’s fate was sealed, but this would be more than just punishment. It would be a message. To the merchants, to the ministers, and to the noble clans watching him through whispers and spies.

”And one last thing,” he said. ”Have the Hao Clan patriarch brought to me. I will speak to him myself. Let him see what his son’s arrogance has cost.”

The three bowed low.

As they left, Lie Fan finally allowed himself to sit, the weight of the moment settling over his shoulders. Not because he doubted the decision. But because it reminded him of the truth, ruling was not always about grand wars and imperial dreams. Sometimes, it was about ensuring a woman could walk beside her lover without fear.

He reached to the side and picked up a paper figurine folded by Zhen Ji earlier that morning. It was a butterfly, delicate and clumsy in its folds, yet precious.

Meanwhile, after Lie Fan gave them the orders, Jia Xu, Mi Zhu, and Chen Gong immediately did what they had been assigned to do.

Chen Gong, with the gravity of his role, began the legal preparations for Hao Tian’s public trial. He assembled a team of investigators and officials from the Ministry of Justice to collect every scrap of testimony and record. Witnesses from the market, like vendors, commoners, and even a street musician, were brought in and interviewed under oath.

Each one told the same tale, the arrogance of Hao Tian, his attempt to violate the honor of a veiled noblewoman, and the chilling calm of the man who later revealed himself to be the Son of Heaven.

Chen Gong worked late into the night, personally ensuring that Concubine Zhen’s name was omitted from all records. In her place, she was referred to simply as a ”noble lady under imperial protection.”

With swift efficiency, he compiled a thorough indictment, charges of attempted assault, public lechery, disrespect toward the Emperor, and inciting violence against the imperial bodyguard. He prepared for a trial that would both punish and instruct.

Mi Zhu, meanwhile, summoned his clerks and financial auditors, and the Ministry of Finance quickly turned its eyes toward the Hao Clan. The Oriole Agents had already provided a goldmine, the full ledgers of the Hao businesses, both legal and hidden.

Textile trade records, river tax documents, bribery payments disguised as ”gifts,” and names of mid and low tier officials who had received illicit money from the Hao merchants, all were laid bare.

Mi Zhu himself pored over the ledgers, drawing lines between corrupted officials and siphoned taxes. ”They’ve built their wealth on exploitation and shadow deals,” he muttered to himself.

”Their arrogance was not born from nothing... but from rot.” By dawn, he had drafted a report for Lie Fan detailing everything. In it, he recommended freezing the Hao Clan’s assets, redistributing ill gotten wealth to rebuild infrastructure in flood affected regions.

Jia Xu, calm and deliberate as always, sent the official summons to Hao Dan, head of the Hao Clan. The eunuch who delivered it read the contents before the entire household. The letter bore the imperial seal and stated that the Emperor himself wished to meet Hao Dan in the main hall regarding the actions of his son.

The reaction in the Hao residence was immediate panic. Hao Dan, a heavyset man in his fifties, slumped to the floor, pale as wax. His wife cried out, and his brothers, the family elders, surrounded him, their faces grim.

”We told you!” one of his brothers spat. ”Your son has always been arrogant! We warned you that his recklessness would bring ruin upon us!”

”And now,” another added coldly, ”he’s insulted the Emperor to his face.”

Hao Dan, barely keeping himself upright, wept silently. ”I... I never thought...”

”Get dressed,” one of the elders snapped. ”Wear your best robes. You have only one chance to plead for our lives.”

With trembling hands, Hao Dan dressed in his most formal attire, then rode in silence to the palace. There, a eunuch and a small detachment of Imperial Guards were already waiting. They said nothing, only gestured, and escorted him to the main hall.

When the grand doors opened, and Hao Dan stepped inside, he was greeted by the sight of the Dragon Throne and upon it, the Son of Heaven.

Lie Fan sat in full ceremonial robes, golden threads catching the light, his face impassive as stone.

Hao Dan collapsed to his knees instantly. ”This unworthy subject greets Your Imperial Majesty! This servant offers his most sincere apologies! Please, have mercy! My son was blind and disrespectful! He deserves punishment! But I beg you, do not destroy my entire house!”

The hall was silent. The Emperor did not speak immediately. He simply stared.

When he did speak, his words came slow, like thunder rolling over distant hills.

”Your son insulted my name. He attempted to defile a woman under my protection. He drew blades against my guard. All in the middle of my capital.”

Hao Dan’s body trembled, his forehead pressed against the cold stone floor. ”Yes, Your Majesty. All of it is true. He was arrogant. I... I failed to raise him properly.”

”You did,” Lie Fan said sharply. ”And that failure has cost you more than face. It has cost you your name, your honor, and your future.”

Hao Dan gasped, but did not look up. ”Then... shall this subject take his own life to atone?”

”No,” Lie Fan said, voice cutting. ”You will live. And you will watch. Watch as your house is stripped of its stolen wealth. As your son’s name is etched in infamy. As the merchants of Xiapi learn that the Son of Heaven walks among them and will not suffer indignity.”

Tears flowed down Hao Dan’s face.

”Your household will be spared,” Lie Fan continued, his tone cold but controlled. ”Your other sons will not be punished. But you will step down from all mercantile operations. The Hao name will no longer sit on any guild board. The Hao family will live quietly, humbly, as a reminder.”

”Yes... yes...” Hao Dan sobbed. ”This subject is grateful... forever loyal...”

Lie Fan waved his hand, not caring about the regret shown by the man in front of him. ”You may go now. You and your family will be summoned again, when the trial begins.” Hao Dan bowed so low it seemed he might split in half, then was escorted out by the Imperial Guards, broken but alive.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty

Age: 34 (201 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 2325

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 966 (+20)

VIT: 623 (+20)

AGI: 623 (+10)

INT: 667

CHR: 98

WIS: 549

WILL: 432

ATR Points: 0