flstandardbreds Chapter 167 Estrangement
Chapter 167 Estrangement
Chapter 167: Estrangement
Three days later.
Liu Bian was in the study, biting a bowl of soup and reading Xun Yu's memorial carefully.
Xun Yu's memorial brought together the court's government affairs, set goals, established methods and approaches, coordinated the originally scattered affairs, and made a more detailed division of the responsibilities and powers of the various levels of institutions in the Secretariat.
This was infinitely better than his own haphazard attacks, and it made Liu Bian feel as if the moon was shining through the clouds.
His eyes were wide open, staring at every word.
Pan Yin was secretly surprised to see that Liu Bian was so serious and neglected his sleep and food.
Liu Bian bit into the soup cake, and suddenly thought of something. He looked up at Pan Yin and shouted vaguely: "Order Liu Biao to enter the palace of the minister."
"Yes." Pan Yin responded quickly.
Liu Bian looked down at the memorial again, picked up the pen, and began writing and recording.
"Your Majesty, Marquis Buqi and Princess Yang'an wish to see you." Suddenly, a eunuch appeared outside the door and said.
Liu Bian frowned, then relaxed his brows and said, "Announce."
"Yes." The eunuch responded and retreated in small steps.
Not long after, a tall, bookish middle-aged man appeared at the door, followed by a graceful woman in her early thirties dressed in exquisite clothes.
Liu Bian looked at the two of them and thought: Are these Fu Wan and Princess Yang'an?
The two of them were also secretly sizing up Liu Bian. Ever since this emperor ascended the throne, the government and the public have been in a state of uneasiness that has yet to dissipate.
Facing Liu Bian's gaze, the two men hurriedly lowered their heads and walked in quickly. Fu Wan raised his hand and said, "I am Fu Wan, the Marquis of Buqi, and I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Princess Yang'an bowed and saluted.
Liu Bian walked out from the desk with a smile and said, "We are all family, no need to be polite, just sit down and talk."
Princess Yang'an was Liu Bian's aunt from the perspective of Emperor Huan.
Fu Wan bowed his head and watched Liu Bian walk to a small table not far away, secretly organizing his words.
The three of them sat down as host and guest. Liu Bian looked at Fu Wan and said, "It's rare for Fu Qing to come to the palace. Is there something going on?"
Princess Yang'an frowned and glanced at Fu Wan.
Fu Wanben wanted to be polite, but seeing Liu Bian got straight to the point, he pretended to hesitate for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, it's like this. My daughter is already married, and entering the palace... is not appropriate."
Liu Bian remained calm, his eyes scanning the two men's faces, then he smiled and said, "What's wrong? Is your family also troubled by rumors? Do you think I'm suspicious of you?"
"I dare not." Fu Wan bowed quickly.
Princess Yangan followed, looking panicked.
They originally thought that it was Liu Bian's selection of the daughter, but they never expected that their daughter would suddenly be betrothed to Liu Xie!
Liu Xie was a "troublesome man" in the court and the country, and countless people were wondering when he would suddenly "die suddenly" of illness.
Naturally, Fu Wan and Princess Yang'an were unwilling to marry their precious daughter to Liu Xie, waiting to be implicated. The best outcome would be to remain a widow!
Liu Bian picked up the teacup, took a sip, smiled and said, "No, Fu Qingjia and the princess don't have to think too much. I will personally arrange the marriage between Liu Xie and Fu Shou. In addition, Fu Qingjia will serve as the Imperial Censor."
Fu Wan was stunned, his expression confused and his reaction at a loss.
In theory, the Censorate was headed by the Grand Censor, followed by the Deputy Censor-in-Chief and the Deputy Censor-in-Chief. As the Grand Censor was changed to the Grand Marshal, one of the Three Dukes, the real power of the Censorate fell into the hands of the Deputy Censor-in-Chief, known as the 'Chief of the Censorate', while the Deputy Censor-in-Chief was the 'in charge of the interior'.
During last year's vigorous campaign to "cut redundant officials", Fu Wan was "suspended from work with pay" and was only given the honorary title of Taisan Doctor.
Fu Wan did have the ambition to be granted a title of nobility and appointed as prime minister, but definitely not at this time!
Just as he was about to open his mouth, Liu Bian said, "He will concurrently serve as the Grand Herald."
This time, not only Fu Wan was stunned, but Princess Yang An was also stunned, and her expression began to hesitate.
The Chief Censor was not an important position, not as important as the assistants to the Nine Ministers, but the Grand Herald was a real Nine Ministers!
Among the Nine Ministers, some were reduced in power, some were dismissed, but the Grand Herald was different. His powers and responsibilities were not reduced, but increased instead.
It was mainly responsible for the exchanges, reception and management of ethnic minorities, and also took over some of the powers and responsibilities of the abolished Shaofu, such as managing some royal estates and the Imperial Garden.
Liu Bian watched their expressions and said, "Mr. Fu, Princess, go see Grandmother. Don't discuss what has been decided. In a few days, Mr. Fu will go to Pei County on my behalf to urge Dong Zhuo to deploy his troops."
Fu Wan's scalp suddenly went numb. He no longer hesitated at all. He absolutely disagreed with his daughter's marriage to Liu Xie. He lowered his head and kept signaling to Princess Yang'an.
Princess Yang An was naturally aware of the dangers involved, and quickly said, "Your Majesty, my daughter..."
Liu Bian picked up the teacup and looked at Princess Yang'an with a smile.
The words that were about to come out of his mouth were stopped abruptly.
Fu Wan's eyes were filled with bitterness. If he had known this, he would not have come here.
Liu Bian took a sip of tea and said, "I heard that in Xuzhou, Liu Bei, the Prime Minister of Pengcheng, and Lü Bu, the Captain of Pinglu, had some conflicts. Please mediate on my behalf. Please put state affairs first and do not act on impulse."
Judging from Tao Qian's memorial, Liu Bei and Lu Bu had a conflict while pursuing Ji Ling and Ju Yi, and they almost came to a fight.
When Fu Wan heard this, his tense expression relaxed a little, as if he didn't mean to "deal with" him.
"Your Majesty, the King of Bohai and the Chief Justice Zhong Yao request to see you." At this time, Pan Yin stood at the door and said.
Liu Bian hummed and said, "Explain."
Fu Wan and Princess Yang'an looked at each other, bowed silently, and stood aside.
Liu Xie and Zhong Yao came in one after the other. They saw Fu Wan and Princess Yang'an and looked at each other with different expressions. They raised their hands and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you."
Liu Bian looked at the two of them and said without showing any strangeness: "No need to be polite, just sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The four people sat down in order.
Liu Bian picked up the teapot, poured tea for Liu Xie, and asked, "Have you been to the Supreme Court?"
Liu Xie looked at the teacup in Liu Bian's hand, his face tensed up, and he said, "Yes. Zhong Tingwei is wise and capable, and he handles things attentively. The Tingwei Mansion is well organized. I admire him very much."
Zhong Yao said nothing, but just leaned forward slightly.
Liu Bian reached out to pour tea for Zhong Yao and said, "I intend to have a lecture in the Shizhong Pavilion every three days, and your brother and Zhong Qing's family will be present."
Liu Xie was stunned. Shizhonglu? Preaching?
However, Zhong Yao already knew that "preaching" was just a name, and its essence was to avoid the complicated Shangshutai.
Xun Yu?
Zhong Yao thought to himself that he could also see that the emperor in front of him seemed to attach great importance to Xun Yu who had just arrived in the capital, and even specially opened the Shizhong Lu.
Liu Bian looked at the faces of the people and said solemnly, "I have issued an order to Fu Qingjia, ordering him to go to Pei County on my behalf to urge Dong Zhuo to advance his troops and coordinate the troops of Jing, Xu, and Yu to put down Yuan Shu's rebellion as soon as possible!"
Seeing that Liu Bian finally gave in, Zhong Yao quickly raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Fu Wan was still unwilling in his heart, but since Liu Bian had brought up this point, he could no longer refuse.
Liu Xie glanced at Buqi Hou, who was about to become his father-in-law, and felt uneasy, wondering about the purpose of Liu Bian's arrangement.
Liu Bian picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said nonchalantly, "I heard that the Three Qiang and Black Mountain troops are ready to make a move again?"
Winter has passed and the summer harvest is approaching. The Qiang people and the Black Mountain Army, who have not been productive or have suffered severe damage during the winter, are preparing to go out to plunder again.
Zhong Yao immediately said, "Your Majesty, I request your permission to visit the Three Qiang again."
Liu Bian looked at him, nodded and said, "I order Zhao Yun to lead 3,000 imperial guards to protect your family. I will also give you the power to control the governor of Hanzhong. If necessary, kill their spirit!"
Things are different now than in the past. Liu Bian has a large army and many brave generals, so he no longer has to worry about so many things.
Zhong Yao looked solemn, raised his hand and said, "I obey your order!"
Liu Bian reached out his hand, offered Zhong Yao some tea, and asked, "What do you think of the Black Mountain Army?"
Zhong Yao frowned, looking thoughtful.
The Black Mountain Army was nothing more than a general term for a group of scattered yet gathered rebels. There were hundreds of them, big and small, with Zhang Yan as their leader. They were entrenched in some places where the imperial court's control was weak, such as mountains, old forests and black waters, and they held hostage millions of bandits and civilians.
If it is an ordinary bandit problem, we can just send troops to suppress them. However, these people are scattered and have built strongholds in the mountains and forests, which are easy to defend but difficult to attack. If the imperial court wants to suppress them, it will need at least 100,000 troops, and it may take several years!
The imperial court has the military forces, but the military pay and food supplies are insufficient!
After thinking it over again, Zhong Yao raised his hand again and said, "I would like to go to the Black Mountain Army again to persuade Zhang Yan and others to surrender!"
Liu Bian shook his head and said, "He has surrendered. I am considering whether to give him a light punishment or a heavy warning."
During the reign of Emperor Ling, in order to concentrate on dealing with the Yellow Turban Army, the imperial court distributed a large number of official positions to the Black Mountain Army after it surrendered, and tacitly assigned many places to the Black Mountain Army, making them an independent force.
Zhong Yao understood Liu Bian's meaning instantly and said thoughtfully, "Your Majesty, General Liu of Youzhou does not have enough troops and horses, and he still has to defend against the Xianbei and Wuhuan. General Ying of Jizhou has not yet established a firm foothold and is still suppressing rebellion. General Lu of Bingzhou is committed to reform and is unable to send troops. If you want to punish the Black Mountain Army, the court must send troops... at least until after the summer harvest."
The imperial court only had money and grain after the summer harvest.
Liu Bian looked thoughtful. In fact, the money earned in summer was just a drop in the bucket.
Liu Xie observed Liu Bian's expression and remembered Zhong Yao's words. His face tensed and he raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, I will go to Yuzhou to supervise the war and help you share your worries."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Yao's face changed immediately, and then he frowned and stared at Liu Bian.
Liu Bian smiled nonchalantly and said, "I am very pleased that you have this intention. It is too much of an honor for Yuan Shu to have my brother intervene. You should concentrate on the Secretariat, read more and learn more, and share my worries in the future."
When Liu Xie heard Liu Bian say this, his nervousness eased a little, and he put down his hand and said, "Your Highness, I obey your order."
Zhong Yao's expression relaxed and the words of objection he had prepared disappeared into thin air.
He was really afraid that the emperor, who never played by the rules, would actually agree to Liu Xie!
"About the Montenegrin Army,"
Liu Bian thought about it again and again, and said, "I will think about it again."
As for the Montenegrin Army, he was waiting for an opportunity.
Seeing this, Zhong Yao paused, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, recently the Prime Minister and the princes have been arguing about government affairs and have lost their temper."
Liu Bian nodded. The reason why Wang Yun was angry was not only because of the suppression of the rebellion, but also because of Xun Yu's entry into the capital.
Wang Yun was deeply wary of the "Yingchuan Party", but he could do nothing about it, so he took out his anger on the useless Prime Minister Yang Biao.
Liu Bian suddenly looked at Liu Xie and said with a smile: "Royal brother, you are in the Shangshutai, you should do more to persuade them to make peace."
Liu Xie blinked and said hesitantly, "Shall I go and persuade them to make peace?"
Liu Bian said, "Yes, you are the most suitable person. In a few days, you can hold a banquet to entertain them and ask them to put aside their differences and focus on state affairs."
Liu Xie was stunned. Still holding a banquet?
Liu Bian glanced at Fu Wan and Princess Yang'an and said, "Royal brother, take them to see grandmother and finalize the marriage as soon as possible."
Liu Xie also glanced at the two of them, and with all his might, he stood up and said, "Yes. I will take my leave."
Fu Wan and Princess Yang'an raised their hands at the same time, and with different thoughts in their minds, they followed Liu Xie out of Liu Bian's study.
After the three men left, Zhong Yao turned his gaze to Liu Bian's face and said, "Your Majesty, someone recommended He Xian to be the chancellor of Luoyang."
"He Xian?"
Liu Bian looked puzzled, then suddenly remembered and said quickly, "Okay."
He Xian, son of He Jin.
After He Jin "entered the palace to report illness", the General's Mansion was sealed, and after he "retired", his officials were dismissed.
In the process of "cutting down redundant officials", Wang Yun and others deliberately targeted not only the "Yingchuan Party", but also the eunuch party and the foreign relatives party. Li Ru found a lot of evidence of He Xian's crimes, and took Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He into consideration, so He Xian was directly dismissed from office and put into idleness.
To be honest, Liu Bian basically didn't remember this person. It was just that He Xian had given birth to a son not long ago, and Empress Dowager He was happy, so she mentioned it to him.
Zhong Yao didn't know the reason, but when he saw Liu Bian allowed He Xian to serve as an official, he understood it in his heart and raised his hand and said, "I accept your order and take my leave."
After he left, Liu Bian pondered for a while, called Pan Yin over, and whispered in his ear.
Pan Yin waited for Liu Bian to finish speaking, then bowed and said, "Yes. I will go and deliver the message right away."
Liu Bian hummed and sat silently for a moment. Then he turned his head to look at the map hanging beside him, staring at Yuzhou with his eyes flickering slightly, and said to himself, "It's time."
A few days later, outside Pei County, Yuan Shu’s camp.
Tian Feng, Yuan Huan, Xu You, Gao Lan, Zhang He and others present at the meeting all looked at Yuan Shu with joy on their faces.
Yuan Shu's heroic face also had a smile on it, and he was full of confidence.
Guo Tu raised his hand to Yuan Shu and said, "My lord, the city of Luoyang is now full of those letters from the old thief Dong. I'm afraid the young emperor will be unable to sit still."
Yuan Huan quickly followed up and said, "My lord, this plan is brilliant. I heard that there is a huge outcry in Luoyang City impeaching the old villain, and the young emperor has gone into hiding. It won't be long before good news comes from Pei County!"
Dong Zhuo rebelled, and Luoyang City was in turmoil, with shouts of killing everywhere. When the news reached Pei County, Dong Zhuo must have been terrified and his army was in chaos.
Xu You kept his achievements and fame to himself, and sat calmly with his eyes narrowed. The pride in his eyes told everyone - this plan was mine!
Tian Feng had a blank expression on his face and was very worried.
Dong Zhuo was alienated from the imperial court. Whether Dong Zhuo was killed by the imperial court or became desperate, it was good news for Yuan Shu!
Yuan Shu sat upright, waiting for the crowd's excited voices to die down, and then said in a deep voice: "Ziyuan, write a letter to the old villain Dong on my behalf, saying that he is willing to surrender to me, and that the past will be forgiven, and the governor of Jizhou will still be his. If it is not clear, he will be torn to pieces and his entire clan will be exterminated!"
Xu You raised his hand and said loudly: "My lord, I think we should send one person to Dong's camp to show our sincerity."
Yuan Shu immediately understood and his eyes moved between the faces of Tian Feng, Xu You, Yuan Huan and Guo Tu.
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