After Liu Bei's brief introduction, Liu Hong learned that Liu Bei was poor when he was young, and he and his mother used to weave mats and sell shoes to support themselves, and he was quite emotional.
It was pure luck that Liu Hong could inherit the throne, because in his early years he was only a local nobleman, inheriting his father's title of Jiedu Tinghou.
Tinghou is the highest rank among the twenty noble titles in Qin and Han Dynasties. The land of one pavilion is the lowest rank among the princes. There are also township marquis and county marquis above.
The number of households in a single pavilion can range from a hundred to a few dozen households, and the salary will definitely not be large.
This shows that his life before becoming emperor was definitely not luxurious.
The world is so vast that there are really many Han clan members who are too poor to afford food.
Liu Hong was not a close member of the royal family. He was similar to Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. He became emperor only after a stroke of luck. Otherwise, he would have basically been living a life of idleness and waiting to die. How could he be as wealthy as an emperor?
Therefore, he must be more or less familiar with what he considers "folk sufferings."
When I heard that Liu Bei had such a life experience, I immediately felt a little empathy and sympathy.
"I never thought that after four hundred years of Han Dynasty, the Han clan would end up in this kind of situation. It's so painful for you..."
"The edge of a sword comes from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. The hardships in my early life have tempered me, made my will stronger, and made my body stronger. Therefore, I never feel that it is shameful to be born in a humble family. matter.
On the contrary, the more humble a person is, the more proud he is when he reaches a high position, and the more he should declare his hardships and hardships to the world, letting the world know that he can achieve great things even if he comes from a humble background. This is the right way in the world! "
Liu Bei's words were very firm and resounding, which not only inspired Cao Cao, but also attracted Liu Hong's loud applause.
The emperor, who was from a branch of the royal family, seemed to like this very much.
"Okay! Well said! The edge of a sword comes from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. It's so well said! Without the hard training at a young age, how could we have the glory and wealth we have today? Wonderful! Wonderful! What a Liu Xuande! "
Liu Hong was very happy and praised Liu Bei repeatedly.
Liu Bei's words aroused his interest. He even stood up and walked to the cave to look at Liu Bei from a close distance. Seeing that he was tall, handsome and looked upright, he couldn't help but feel fond of him.
Is there such a person among the distant relatives of the Han Dynasty?
"I heard that you studied with Lu Ziqian and were his disciples?"
"Yes, I received my inheritance from my mentor Lu Gong. Without Lu Gong's teachings, I would not be where I am today."
"Well, Lu Ziqian's knowledge is indeed world-famous, otherwise I wouldn't have sent someone to recruit him to Luoyang for work. You... By the way, you are also from Youzhou and are from the same hometown as Lu Ziqian. It's no wonder."
Liu Hong seemed to have thought of something, and after walking a few steps, he remembered that this occasion was not an occasion to search for lost pearls, but...
An occasion to talk about big things.
Thinking like this, Liu Hong gradually calmed down his emotions.
"Okay, we can talk about these things later. Xuande, you just made a loud noise at the gate of the West Garden and disturbed my lunch break. Do you admit your guilt?"
"It is my fault to make loud noises and be disrespectful in front of the king. I am aware of my guilt."
Liu Bei bowed.
Liu Hong smiled slightly.
"Then what kind of punishment are you prepared to receive?"
"No matter how your Majesty punishes me, I am willing to accept it, but before your Majesty punishes me, please listen to me."
Liu Hong nodded after hearing this.
"Just tell me."
Liu Bei needs to be cautious when questioning the emperor.
So he tidied up his words a little.
"Your Majesty, I didn't come here intentionally to make a loud noise that disturbed Your Majesty's afternoon break. I really had to do it for a reason."
"What reason?"
"I want to impeach Taiwei Zhang Ji and Sikong Xuqu."
"Oh? You are brave."
Liu Hong's words sounded surprised, but there was no surprise on his face, as if he wasn't surprised at all.
"Of the three princes in our country, you are just a magistrate, and one of you impeached the other two. Do you know what this means?"
Liu Bei shook his head.
"Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world, not to mention that as an official of the imperial court, it is related to the national system and has unshirkable responsibilities! Even if your Majesty punishes me, I will never regret it even after nine deaths!"
After Liu Hong heard this, he was silent for a while and sighed.
"Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world... If everyone in the world can have the heart of serving the public and the country like Xuande, how can the world of the Han Dynasty be like this?"
With that said, Liu Hong looked at Chen Dan and the other three.
"Are you and the other three here also for this matter?"
Chen Dan and the other three people immediately stood up and stood in front of Liu Hong and bowed.
"Exactly."
"Chen Situ, I know you have always been upright, but do you also want to impeach Taiwei Zhang Ji and Sikong Xuqu?"
"Your Majesty, that's right."
Chen Dan took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his arms and handed it to Liu Hong with both hands: "Your Majesty, Taiwei Zhang Ji and Sikong Xuqu tried to remove twenty-six county guards for their own selfish interests, causing the world to be shaken and uneasy. Their rule The common people gathered in Luoyang to cry out for the county governor. Luoyang City is fully aware of this matter, and it has a great impact. Your Majesty must investigate."
Liu Hong raised his eyebrows, took the bamboo slips, unfolded them, looked at them, put them away again, and placed them on the table beside him.
"The civilians under these county guards came to Luoyang to cry out for their grievances. Do these county guards really serve the country and love the people like their own children? There is nothing wrong with them?"
Chen Dan nodded without hesitation.
"Your Majesty, the human heart is enough to prove the truth of this matter."
Liu Hong looked at Sili Colonel Guo Hong again.
"Guo Hong, is that true?"
Guo Hong looked at Chen Dan, then nodded, and presented the bamboo slips in his hands with both hands.
"Your Majesty, for this reason, twenty-six people complained about the injustice, and there were more than 600 civilians. They all traveled a long way to Luoyang, gathered at the gate of Sili Xiaowei's Mansion, and launched a petition. After seeing this scene, I was very moved. I was so moved that I couldn't refuse, so I did this."
Liu Hong also took the bamboo slip, unfolded it, looked at it, and then walked to Liu Bei.
"Xuande, is this your handiwork?"
"Your Majesty, yes."
"Is your father-in-law among these twenty-six people?"
"Your Majesty, yes."
"Then you should avoid this matter, why do you still come forward?"
"Your Majesty, it is precisely because I am the son-in-law of Governor Han that I know that Governor Han has absolutely no fault in being impeached or dismissed from office. If due to some unwritten customs, I sit back and watch the officials who can stabilize the local area be dismissed innocently, it will make the local government worry and Uneasy, this is where you have failed in your duties as His Majesty’s minister.”
Liu Bei bowed and saluted: "I, like Chen Situ, Guo Xiaowei, and Cao Yilang, are not willing to sit back and watch the world be turbulent, the country be damaged, and the emperor be worried for the sake of selfish interests."
After listening to what Liu Bei said, Chen Dan and Guo Hong secretly praised his level of speech.
Cao Cao was inexplicably moved.
Liu Hong was silent for a while, pacing back and forth, and finally stood in front of Liu Bei, reached out and patted his shoulder, and sighed.
"As expected of my Han clan clan."
With that said, Liu Hong shook his head and returned to the cave.
This time he did not lie down, but sat upright, with a somewhat solemn appearance of an emperor.
"Announce Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong to enter the palace."
Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, who were waiting very anxiously outside, entered the palace in a panic after receiving the amnesty. They looked at Liu Bei and the other four nervously, and then looked at Liu Hong, who was sitting upright.
Seeing that everyone was here, Liu Hong spoke slowly.
"I already know what you have said. This matter is of great importance. It is unwise to suddenly dismiss twenty-six county guards, causing turmoil in the world and instability in people's hearts. After careful consideration, I always think that this matter is impossible." Okay, so forget it.”
Liu Hong gave the final conclusion. Chen Dan and others were overjoyed and quickly bowed down, saying that the emperor was a saint.
Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong looked unhappy.
This was the first time that they had failed to win a direct confrontation with the scholars since the disaster of the Party. It was of great significance, and of course they were not willing to let it go.
"Your Majesty, these traitors harm the place and harm the emperor's sage. They should be punished appropriately!"
"Your Majesty, these traitors only work for their own selfish desires and do not consider the reputation of the Emperor or the safety of the Han Dynasty. If they are not punished, how will the people of the world view them in the long run?"
Liu Hong looked at Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong with the same displeasure on his face.
The matter is so big and the whole world is in an uproar, but it still continues. Do we have to force some people to rebel?
"What will happen if things continue to this point? You shouldn't have such thoughts."
Liu Hong's very unpleasant tone made Zhang Rang stunned for a moment, and he immediately reacted.
Zhao Zhong, however, continued to argue as if he hadn't reacted yet, but was stopped by Zhang Rang.
"I don't dare."
Zhang Rang shouted quickly, and then winked at Zhao Zhong.
Only then did Zhao Zhong react and quickly lowered his head without saying anything else.
Seeing that Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong did not continue to argue, Liu Hong nodded with satisfaction and announced his handling of the matter.
"Taiwei Zhang Ji and Sikong Xuqu are unfair, have selfish motives, and have weak moral conduct. They are not worthy of the position of the three princes. I will remove these two people from their posts. The matter of twenty-six county guards will be abandoned. This is the end of this matter." Let’s not talk about it anymore.”
Liu Hong's final decision came down, and this political struggle rarely ended with the victory of the scholars.
should be.
Chen Dan settled his mind and felt that the matter had finally settled, and he was very happy. As for the difficulties he might face in the future, he didn't want to think too much about it now.
Cao Cao was very happy and felt that he had finally accomplished something for the scholars, and his situation in Yuan Shao's circle of friends would definitely be much better in the future.
Guo Hong was even more happy. He felt that he made the right bet and got things done. He successfully joined the line of Yuan Shao and Chen Dan. There will definitely be the possibility of going further in the future.
Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong felt very uncomfortable. Not only did they fail to accomplish what they wanted to do, but they also paid for their minions Zhang Ji and Xu Que.
It's really a waste of money.
The two men looked at the four visitors present with extremely malicious eyes, especially Liu Bei who was charging forward, thinking about how to deal with this bastard boy who didn't know the heights of heaven and earth.
But at this moment, Liu Bei suddenly spoke.
"Your Majesty, I think this matter cannot be ignored."
————————
PS: It’s so uncomfortable to cough and stuff up my nose. It’s okay to sit during the day, but it feels sore when I lie down to sleep at night. Alas...
