Ju Shou frowned deeply, but there was nothing he could do. Liu Xie was unwilling, and he could not force him.
In the end, he could only compromise. "Then get some rest first. Have you finished reading the Daily Conduct Records I gave you last time? You've memorized all of it, haven't you?"
"I have."
Liu Xie was so tired he did not even want to open his eyes, and his reply came out weak and listless.
Over the past month, Ju Shou had brought him five or six volumes of the Daily Conduct Records and demanded that he memorize every one.
Perhaps it was because he had transmigrated, but his memory had become extraordinarily powerful. He could even remember everything after a single glance.
Memorizing a mere handful of volumes of the Daily Conduct Records was as easy as turning over his palm.
Ju Shou did not doubt him. He, too, was astonished by Liu Xie's memory; it could only be called an exceptional gift.
"Then get some proper rest. I'll come back tomorrow."
Ju Shou said no more and prepared to rise and leave.
Just then, however, Liu Xie raised his head and asked, "Wait, when can I leave this courtyard? I've been here for a whole month."
Being cooped up in this courtyard day after day was utterly unbearable.
They could at least let him wander around the Yuan Residence.
"Construction of the Son of Heaven's Palace is already underway and will be finished soon. You'll be sent there to live once it's ready. Until then, stay here and behave yourself."
With that, Ju Shou walked straight out.
Chapter 15: Appointing a Grand General! Appointing a Grand Commandant!
Construction of the Son of Heaven's Palace had begun quite some time ago.
Yuan Shao had originally intended this palace as his own residence, but after Liu Xie, the "Son of Heaven," arrived, he had turned it into the Son of Heaven's Palace.
To speed up progress, Yuan Shao had conscripted over a thousand laborers to build the palace day and night. Naturally, he had done so to make this "imperial court" in Ye City look more like the real thing.
After all, the Son of Heaven could not live in his residence forever. That went against protocol, and when Great Han officials came to pay their respects, they would think he showed the Son of Heaven no respect. That was not what he wanted to see.
By now, the palace was nearly complete.
"I never thought I'd go from being unable to afford a home in my previous life to owning a huge villa of my own in ancient times."
Liu Xie stroked his chin and muttered to himself.
At the same time, a thought could not help surfacing in his mind.
Now that I have a palace, can I start a harem?
It's perfectly normal for the Son of Heaven to have a harem full of beauties, right?
But Liu Xie quickly drove that thought from his mind.
"Liu Xie, oh, Liu Xie, how can you be so shallow!
"You're the Son of Heaven of the Great Han now, shouldering the mission of restoring its glory and founding it anew for the third time! Starting today, abstain from women!"
Liu Xie reflected deeply, wracked with remorse and ashamed of his own thoughts.
But then he reconsidered... he seemed to be a fake Son of Heaven. What did restoring the Great Han's glory have to do with him?
Was he supposed to go head-to-head with Boss Yuan and Boss Cao?
"Then never mind."
Everything instantly fell into place in Liu Xie's mind, and his spirits lifted.
By now, he had none of the hot-blooded passion or lofty ambitions a transmigrator ought to possess. To him, merely surviving in this era would be good enough.
As for competing with the heroes of the Three Kingdoms for supremacy, he might as well wash up and go to bed.
After leaving Liu Xie's little courtyard, Ju Shou went to Yuan Shao's study to report on the progress of his instruction.
"My lord, he has now fully mastered the etiquette of speech. He has also memorized all the Son of Heaven's Daily Conduct Records and can answer questions about them fluently."
"Training him in the proper etiquette of conduct and bearing will still take some time, but I believe it will be completed soon."
Ju Shou bowed slightly and gave an account of Liu Xie's situation.
"Understood."
Yuan Shao paid little attention to this and continued writing something at his desk. "Gongyu, you've come at just the right time. I have something to discuss with you."
"Take a look at this."
Yuan Shao set down his brush and spoke to Ju Shou.
Ju Shou stepped forward, picked up the sheet of paper on the desk, and examined it carefully. Before long, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"My lord, this is... an imperial edict?"
Ju Shou looked at Yuan Shao in surprise.
The paper in his hands was an edict of appointment issued in the Son of Heaven's name.
"Indeed."
Yuan Shao nodded and clasped his hands behind his back. "With the Son of Heaven's name at my disposal, naturally I must put it to use. I intend to issue an order in his name and take the office of Grand General."
Grand General was the highest honor and office a military commander could attain! In name, its standing equaled that of the Three Excellencies; in practice, it surpassed them!
Because the General of Swift Cavalry and the General of Chariots and Cavalry, both subordinate to the Grand General, could rank alongside the Three Excellencies, the office of Grand General carried even greater weight.
In the history of the Han dynasty, there had been three particularly famous Grand Generals: Han Xin, Wei Qing, and Huo Guang.
It truly meant standing beneath one man and above ten thousand!
And now Yuan Shao intended to appoint himself Grand General in the Son of Heaven's name!
"My lord, might it be inappropriate to take the office of Grand General outright? The realm still disputes whether the Son of Heaven is in Xu County or Ji Province. I fear taking this office will invite criticism."
Ju Shou spoke with deep concern. The office of Grand General held extraordinary significance, and many had their eyes on it.
Becoming Grand General meant nominally gaining the authority to command every soldier in the realm and becoming the supreme power in the military!
"What is inappropriate about it? When I marched against Dong Zhuo, the various lords already acclaimed me as General of Chariots and Cavalry. This is merely one step further."
"The office of Grand General has stood vacant for years. If I do not take it, am I to wait for Cao Cao to beat me to it and claim the position in the Son of Heaven's name?"
Yuan Shao thought differently from Ju Shou. To him, promotion to Grand General was a perfectly natural progression.
When the Eighteen Route Lords had campaigned against Dong Zhuo, he had served as their alliance leader. The provincial administrations had unanimously agreed to elevate him to General of Chariots and Cavalry; he had merely lacked the Son of Heaven's approval.
Now that he had the Son of Heaven in his hands, he could ascend to Grand General with full legitimacy.
Seeing that Yuan Shao had made up his mind, Ju Shou stopped trying to persuade him. But another appointment in the edict made him pause.
"You also intend to appoint Yuan Shu as Grand Commandant?"
The Grand Commandant was one of the Three Excellencies and oversaw military affairs.
But since Yuan Shao had already appointed himself Grand General, with authority over all military power, was appointing Yuan Shu as Grand Commandant not an obvious attempt to place himself above him?
Yuan Shao stroked his beard and smiled. "Gonglu is my brother, after all, and a son of the Yuan Clan. How could I forget him?"
"But after careful consideration, I decided that Grand Commandant suits him best. That way, he will be subject to my authority from now on."
"Besides, the edict will be issued in the Son of Heaven's name. Could he possibly refuse?"
Yuan Shao had selfish motives for giving Yuan Shu this office.
For one, it would prevent their clan from accusing him of failing to support his brother. For another, it would let him stand above Yuan Shu.
"My lord!"
Ju Shou shook his head firmly, his expression grave. "You absolutely must not do this. There is already a rift between you and Yuan Shu. Acting this way may only make him hate you more!"
"Why not change the appointment from Grand Commandant to Minister of Works or Grand Marshal? That way..."
But before he could finish, Yuan Shao interrupted him.
"There is no need. I have already decided. We will do as planned and appoint him Grand Commandant. Surely a place among the Three Excellencies does not shortchange him?"
Ju Shou was momentarily at a loss for words and did not know how else to dissuade him.
After all, this was a private matter between the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. As a subordinate, he was hardly in a position to interfere.
"By the way, how is construction of the Son of Heaven's Palace progressing?"
Having settled the appointments, Yuan Shao moved on to his next question.
Ju Shou gathered his thoughts and answered, "At present, it is nearly complete. His Majesty will be able to move into the palace within the next few days."
"He's getting quite a bargain."
Yuan Shao gave a light snort. He had originally intended the palace as his own residence, but now he was handing it over to this counterfeit Son of Heaven.
"Transfer a thousand men from the army to serve as the palace guard."
"As for the commander of the guard... let Zhang He take the position."
Yuan Shao spoke after a moment's thought. Zhang He had been an officer under Han Fu, the former ruler of Ji Province. When Yuan Shao took the province, Zhang He had naturally entered his service.
But he did not particularly trust this newly surrendered officer and had never known quite where to place him.
Making him commander of the palace guard seemed suitable.
Chapter 16: The Son of Heaven's Palace? No, a Huge Villa!
Liu Xie had never expected that, just a few days after telling Ju Shou how bored he was from being confined to the courtyard, the man would come to inform him that he was moving.
Construction of the Son of Heaven's Palace was complete. At last, he could leave the courtyard where he had spent over a month and move into a proper, enormous villa.
On a bustling street.
Over a hundred fully armed soldiers escorted a black carriage as it slowly advanced along a broad flagstone road wide enough for several carriages to travel abreast.
The people of Ye City crowded both sides of the street, craning their necks to peer at the carriage, their faces filled with curiosity.
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