In the eighth year of Yuanfeng, the emperor issued an edict bringing the treason case of Liu Bi, King of Wu, to a definitive close. Mass arrests of his accomplices would cease, denunciations would no longer be accepted, and commandery and county officials were forbidden to handle related matters on their own authority.
The blade hanging over countless heads finally vanished. A terrifying political atmosphere could destroy the vitality of an entire society. With the affair concluded, the merchants who had been kept under restraint became active again.
Countless members of the powerful gentry had been investigated, and countless high nobles had been purged. Vast quantities of circulating, ownerless wealth filled society.
Suddenly, great swathes of official posts that people had once begged for in vain stood vacant. Commercial enterprises that had amassed immense fortunes and had nearly become monopolies were abruptly torn apart. The upper ranks of the dynasty suddenly opened countless positions to the middle and lower ranks.
What a scene of surging vitality it was!
An east wind swept through Chang'an. Its biting chill made the city's people wrap their thick clothes tightly around themselves. The unceasing wind scattered every trace of bloodshed. There were always new nobles ascending to Changle, and the Old Nobles would soon be forgotten.
The great purge of the previous year seemed not so long ago, yet many people had already begun to forget it.
The Directorate of Astronomy.
This department specialized in observing the movements of the sun, moon, and stars. The calendar was also revised and adjusted here, making its offices exceptionally prestigious and unsullied.
Who in all the world was most skilled in astronomy and calendrical calculation?
The Luo Clan!
From whose family did the Lord of the Four Seasons come?
The Luo Clan!
Naturally, the Luo Clan Scion