"Your Majesty, there must be an error in this transcript!"
"Absolutely?" Zhong Yao stood up straight with his hands behind his hands. He slowly glanced at Dong Cheng and said, "General Dong has not interrogated or investigated. He can say that he is certain with his words alone. It also affects His Majesty's judgment. Yes." What's your intention?"
"Since we have received His Majesty's permission to exercise such great power and sit in this great position, we must obey the law and abide by the law in order to be fair. If you don't believe in Dali Temple regarding Colonel Zhang, you can ask it yourself."
"If you don't believe your Majesty, then General Dong might as well sue to heaven."
Zhong Yao's tone was very calm, but his words were very sharp. Every word he said was to suppress Dong Cheng's arrogance.
At the same time, it can be regarded as expressing the dissatisfaction in the heart. Dali Temple is a fair place, and now after the reset, it is even more necessary to temporarily take over the responsibility of the court captain.
Civil and criminal matters are decided in Dali Temple. If rumors of injustice are spread, it can be said to be in vain in the future.
In the past two years, the most important thing is faith. If the faith of the emperor, the court, and the various ministries are not established, the people will still not feel at ease. In the future, people will be turbulent and anxious, and no one will truly respect Xu Du Hanting.
If no one respects you, then all the gentlemen in the hall now seem to be playing tricks.
In the end, we still have to rely on weapons to suppress it. Then we can only rely on Cao Gong's soldiers and horses.
These words made Dong Cheng speechless. He could only move his lips several times in the palace, but still couldn't say a word.
"Are you going?" Zhong Yao didn't tolerate him at all and urged him: "If you want to check again in person, immediately ask your Majesty for permission to check Zhang Xiaowei's residence immediately."
"Find new evidence and witnesses to overturn the records of Dali Temple. If you don't go, don't stay in the main hall and just mourn and bark!"
"Zhong Yao, you -" Dong Cheng pointed and raised his arms. He had always been looked down upon by Zhong Yao and others back then, and his status in Chang'an was not high. Although he regarded himself as the descendant of the famous Dong family, he still failed to be taken seriously.
That is to say, after her daughter was sent to the palace to become the emperor's concubine, she was qualified to listen to the emperor's words, but she was still not qualified to speak out her plans.
Now that he has arrived in Xudu, Zhong Yao still has no respect for him at all. He was shy from the beginning and only greeted him perfunctorily when they met.
Now he is shouting curses directly in the palace without any mercy.
Dong Cheng felt very embarrassed. He was an official in the same dynasty and was from a noble family, and he was still called the uncle of the country. How could he be in such a situation, being pointed at and scolded without dignity in the court.
"Dong Cheng!" Liu Xie jumped up directly, with black cannons flying, glaring and walking straight in front of him, and said angrily: "How long are you going to make trouble!?"
"Isn't it possible that even if you are not satisfied, the decline of the Han Dynasty will only make you happy!?"
"I am young, but I am not stupid! It is true that Cao Qing did not come from a noble family and had a eunuch lineage, but he has unparalleled intelligence and a broad heart. He has always been loyal and loving to me, respecting me like a servant and thinking of me like a son. Definitely not a Dong thief or Li Guo!"
"But -" Dong Cheng raised his head, his face full of horror and disbelief. When he spoke, Liu Xie's eyes forced him to swallow his words.
He wanted to remind him that Cao Cao in front of him seemed to be loyal and respected Liu Xie, but! Didn't His Majesty realize that his power was expanding step by step?
First, the troops around the capital were deployed and occupied one by one. Later, focusing on Zhang Han, the commander of the cavalry school, they continued to recruit and appoint important commanders.
Then he took the position of Sikong and asked the emperor to personally pay homage to Sikong and accept the order in case of danger.
The incompetence of Xudu's civil construction was offset by military exploits, and at the same time the emperor was very happy. He only praised but did not blame.
Because of Wancheng's merits, he obtained the rights to establish a school affairs office.
In this process, the three important counties of Hanoi, Nanyang, and Runan were completely under control, and Zhang Xiu was followed by 30,000 loyal and elite old troops.
Even Cao Cao gained an unpredictable reputation in Wancheng.
These, if you think about it carefully, are extremely terrifying. If this were in the prosperous times, Cao Cao, a minister, would no longer have anyone to check and balance him.
He can dominate the government and no one will object to anything he says. Such a person has a hundred ways to deceive His Majesty, because His Majesty has never really managed politics and has never known the sufferings of the people.
If Cao Cao gives him a little sweetness, he will be complacent for a long time, and then he will think that the monarch and his ministers are in harmony.
"You still want to frame Bo Chang and slander Bo Chang. Are you satisfied with the result now?!"
"Speak! I ask you, are you satisfied!? Only if you are satisfied will I dare to let him go."
Dong Cheng was shocked when he heard this. He knew that Liu Xie must be really angry, and there was resentment in his heart.
So he immediately knelt down and trembled on the ground, saying vaguely: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty... I don't dare to overstep my bounds. I just heard the rumors and misunderstood the Lord Bochang." .”
"Yeah?"
Liu Xie sneered: "Doesn't that mean you use me as a means of selfish gain? Are you very dissatisfied that I didn't get rid of the garrison captain for you?"
"Don't dare, I won't dare to do this!"
Liu Xie looked at him coldly and condescendingly, and said word by word: "Tell me now, if Cao Qing is demoted, Zhang Hou is punished, the court is in chaos and the people are in dire straits, Xudu will never be as prosperous as it is now, but What benefit can you gain from the desolation and turmoil of the past? What benefit can I gain? "
"this……"
"General Fu Guo! Answer me!" Liu Xie looked at Fu Wan again. This look immediately shocked Fu Wan's heart, and he knelt on the ground, also trembling.
The two were officials who reported Zhang Han, and they claimed to have obtained irrefutable information and would surely find something once their home was searched.
The current result was certainly not what the two of them had imagined. They even suspected that Zhang Han, a man at the forefront of the situation, deliberately caused people to jump out and then turned around.
"You two have framed the Marquis of the Han Dynasty, and you should be punished. You two are relatives of the country, so you have to accept your duties and leave the imperial city."
"Your Majesty!!" Dong Cheng and Fu Wan secretly looked at each other. They were sweating profusely, but they did not dare to refuse. This punishment... was already considered very light.
If he follows the laws of Dali Temple, the lightest thing he can do now is to be sent to a small land as an order, and he is not allowed to return to Xudu.
Of course, even if you are removed from your current position, you will only be able to take idle and idle positions in Xudu in the future, and it will be difficult to make a difference.
Cao Cao... wouldn't he want to take back his two general positions to consolidate his power in Xudu?
In this way, His Majesty has really become a bird in a cage. Cao Cao's cage is much stronger than Dong Thief's, making it impossible to attack.
How terrible! !
"Get out!" When Liu Xie saw the two men nodding in response, regardless of whether they heard clearly or not, he immediately told them to get out in an irritated manner.
At this time, only Cao Cao, Xun Yu, Zhong Yao and others were left in the palace, while Liu Xie turned around to observe Cao Cao's expression.
After a long time, he asked softly: "Cao Qing, uh... Zhang Aiqing, is he still willing to be an official? I won't remove his title or official position, but how about adding a new city for his loyal actions?"
"Or if the post of former general is vacant, Bo Chang can be appointed temporarily."
Cao Cao smiled bitterly and shook his head. At this moment, there was no anger on his face. Instead, there was a sense of sadness. He sighed: "Your Majesty, in fact, as a humble minister, he is like a person who has fallen into the autumn leaves. It is not too uncomfortable." .”
"But young people like Bo Chang are different. He is in the prime of his youth. He should be full of enthusiasm and serve the country, but now..."
"Loyalty will grow old, and hot blood will easily grow cold... Bo Chang must be very sad."
Liu Xie hesitated for a moment, as if he had been stabbed by a knife. He lowered his head and thought deeply. Finally, he looked at Xun Yu and Yang Biao and said: "Taiwei and Zhongshu Ling have severely demoted Dong and Fu from their official positions." Level three.”
"Follow the Holy Orders."
In the following time, Cao Cao informed Liu Xie in detail about the battle report with Sui Gu and Yu Du.
The tribesmen Zhang Han said were all true, and they were able to defeat Suigu. In fact, they made meritorious service by guarding the pass.
"A mere few hundred people were able to withstand sixteen thousand people for an hour and a half, buying time for my army to pursue them. How can this not be considered a meritorious service?"
"I see...the number of thieves and bandits really surprised me at first."
"Later, it doesn't matter if there are many people, we should fight with elites. The elite soldiers trained by my big man day and night can be one against ten. The difference lies in the military spirit and military spirit."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty," Cao Cao smiled happily, nodded secretly, and used the cases of several battles as teachings for Liu Xie. He taught him some principles of military art, which made Liu Xie's mood gradually improve, and he abandoned Dong Cheng. , the unhappiness caused by Fu Wan and the two of them.
Not long after, Cao Cao found a more suitable opportunity in his words, and said thoughtfully: "During a battle, motivations are also based on concerns, and the same is true for ordinary court battles. Your Majesty has a sentence that asks a very wise question. "
"Oh?" Liu Xie's eyes lit up. He liked to hear Cao Cao's words of praise inadvertently, which gave him some satisfaction.
"Sikong, please tell me, which sentence is it?"
"Well, that is, if Xudu is reincarnated in troubled times, what good will it do to them? Wei Chen believes that motivation is the source of actions. If there is no profit motivation, it is impossible to be so deliberate."
"Whether the benefit is real money, fame, or future, it is all driven by profit."
Liu Xie nodded secretly. In fact, from the bottom of his heart, he felt that what Cao Cao said was true, and he deeply agreed.
Just like ambition is the driving force for people to fight, any interest will be the driving force for these ministers to seize power so schemingly.
"If Xu's capital is completely destroyed, they still have Yuan Shao to surrender to. Dong Cheng and Fu Wan were full of praise for Yuan Shao before, but when they returned eastward, although Yuan Shao followed the imperial edict on the surface, he actually delayed his march... …”
Liu Xie shook his head bitterly. Thinking of the danger at that time, he couldn't help but cherish the current peace even more.
But, it was at this moment that he was stunned and fell into confusion.
Er Qing suddenly raised his head, stared at Cao Cao, and asked in confusion: "Cao Aiqing, if you speculate based on this theory, wouldn't it be that... Dong Cheng and Fu Wan had already exchanged information with Yuan Shao, and it was not for Xu. They are all thinking about it, but they want to secretly sow discord between me and Cao Qing, even at the expense of causing hardship to the people of Xudu, and at the expense of ruining peace and tranquility, all for the sake of Yuan Shao and weakening Cao Qing's current defenses."
"What?!" Cao Cao was shocked, his body trembled suddenly, his pupils trembled, and his eyes were as big as copper bells.
"Your Majesty's words have simply awakened the ministers! If this is true, Xu Du is in danger. The Yuan brothers seem to have broken up, but they are brothers after all. If Yuan Shu usurps, I must raise troops to attack. At this time, Yuan Shao attacks There are internal agents behind me, and Your Majesty is in danger."
"Wei Chen was negligent, Wei Chen was negligent!!" Cao Cao was sweating profusely and looked frightened. He repeated the same sentence over and over again. He was obviously upset.
How could Liu Xie understand this scene? He only said that he had discovered an extremely hidden danger that Cao Sikong had never imagined.
Now, we can't let the capable minister in front of us get confused, "Cao Aiqing!"
Liu Xie shouted loudly, put his hands on Cao Cao's shoulders, stared into his eyes solemnly, and said: "Don't panic, don't get yourself into trouble because of this."
"Ai Qing, just prepare to attack Yuan Shu and guard against Yuan Shao's incident. With me at the rear, I will never let Dong Cheng and Fu Wan's party take advantage of them, so I was given a lighter punishment... In fact, it was also because of the kinship. I am deeply disappointed in them."
"Your Majesty!" Cao Cao was greatly moved and bowed to salute. Liu Xie supported him. The emperor and his ministers looked at each other in silence.
Then, Liu Xie ordered to the Chancellor to demote Dong and Fu's official positions by one level, remove their titles, and hand over the power of the military camps in the Northern Imperial City, the Inner City, and the Outer City.
Each can lead his remaining troops with a thousand men to garrison the southern city.
…
Zhang Bancheng Mansion.
Zhang Hande was sent back by a special car from the school affairs office, patted the soil in front of the door, and entered the door together with Dian Wei. Jia Xu had been waiting at the door for a long time.
"Junhou——"
"Hey!" Zhang Han quickly raised his hand to stop, "Now I am no longer a prince, just call me Xiao Zhang."
"Xiao Zhang..."
"Bah, you, the king has just suffered a disaster, and before the result is announced, you can actually scream, ungrateful person!" Dian Wei glared at Jia Xu.
"Tsk, stop playing," Jia Xu said helplessly, "You two, what's the result?"
Zhang Han smiled and patted his thin arm, and said loudly: "Thanks to Wen He for anticipating this matter in advance, it's okay."
"This is not my fault," Jia Xu shook his head with a serious face, "because the king really took care of his family members for his brothers who died in the battlefield in the past, and he was not stingy with money at all, so that all seventy-three families were willing to sacrifice their lives. Speak up.”
"This is your own contribution."
Jia Xu breathed a long sigh of relief, held his hands down, and said seriously: "Your Majesty, in this case, I have made great contributions to you. If you can, I will recommend you to him. I am old and not good at military affairs." , I want to go to Sikong Mansion to find a position as chief clerk..."
"Hey, no, no, no," Zhang Han refused quickly, shaking his head repeatedly, and then his expression broke and he grinned, "If it weren't for Wen He, I would have almost died in Dali Temple."
"With such kindness, how can I let you be a master bookkeeper and a long history? Of course I will stay with you and treat you well in the future."
"Junhou, please let me go!!" Jia Xu jumped to his feet.
Zhang Han and Dian Wei looked at each other in surprise.
Driving an old man crazy...
"Although I am ignorant, I can infer from the intelligence that when the prince first became a literary scholar, he once saved Bao Xuzhou's life in Shouzhang alone."
"If you are really in trouble this time, it is most likely that Sikong will save the prince's life, depose him, and then send the prince to Xuzhou. When he arrives in Xuzhou, half of the prince's family background and the officials who follow him are from Xuzhou. people."
"You went to Xuzhou, and you were more at home. You could make a comeback in less than a year."
There are a lot of people behind you. What political achievements do you want but cannot achieve? !
"Your Majesty, please let me go!"
Jia Xu is just stupid. He still hasn't figured out what he owes Zhang Han, yet he cares about him so much!
He just had to be by his side, so even if he stayed by his side, he wouldn't treat him politely or respectfully. He and Dianwei even took pleasure in torturing his old bones every day.
What did I do wrong...
(End of chapter)
