Wen Rui had been accompanying him all the time. When he heard Liu Xie's displeased question, he walked closer, bowed down, and said softly: "I know that your majesty has been eating meat lately and has no taste for it."
"So, Huangmen was also sent to the Prime Minister's Mansion to ask for an audience with the Prime Minister because the chicken essence was gone..."
"Huh? No more?" After eating it, Liu Xie knew that it was delicious and rich, so he wanted to eat more. Now that he suddenly heard that it was gone, he naturally understood that it was a precious thing.
"Go and ask the Prime Minister to find some more for me."
"Oh," Wen Rui whispered softly, sighed, and said with a bitter look on his face: "I can't find it. I only found out today that there is no such thing in the world."
"Yes Yes--"
"What?!" Liu Xie also felt strange why Wen Rui was speaking strangely today. He immediately frowned and looked back at him with some sullenness.
"If you have anything to say, just say it. Why do you have to be so secretive?"
Thinking of this, Liu Xie added: "If the Prime Minister wants it himself, I will not be angry. The Prime Minister is kind to the great man, and there is nothing wrong with serving him as his elder."
"Oh..." Wen Rui breathed a sigh of relief and smiled on his slender horse-like face, "That's not true. It's a long story."
"Actually, this chicken essence was not purchased from anywhere. It was obtained from the Qingting Marquis by the son of the prime minister, oh, Wugan Zhonglang when he was about to go to Nanlinshan Camp."
"Then it was presented to the Prime Minister. Hearing that His Majesty had a poor appetite, the Prime Minister sent it to the palace for the Food Superintendent to try. Oh, Mr. Zhong Jing from the Imperial Medical Office said this thing has medicinal tonic properties and can be used to strengthen bones if eaten regularly."
"Oh?! Bo Chang!" Liu Xie's eyes shone. He had heard this name often recently, but it was not good news. He thought that Zhang Han had become corrupt now that he had taken the credit.
It seems to be still glowing! !
"Where did he get it?"
Because he was a little excited, Liu Xie couldn't help but ask first. Wen Rui had planned to say it right away.
The waiter smiled distressedly, clapped his hands lightly, and said, "That's the problem."
"This is something that Lord Bochang spent a lot of energy and money on to ask someone to develop it. The method of making it is only available in his Nanlin Mountain."
"At that time, this small jar was sent to the palace when the lieutenant came back. Now it is gone..."
"The Marquis of Qingting, I heard that there were too many impeachments in the court about him arming the black-robed cavalry, so he quit in anger. In fact, his development of this thing is also a great achievement."
Wen Rui was in favor of the Cao family. In two generations, the Cao family's ministers, ranging from the prime minister to the general of the five senses, had given him many benefits.
Otherwise, he would not have been promoted to such an important position.
Wen Rui continued: "Your Majesty should know the temper of the Qingting Marquis best. That is - well, what the Prime Minister said, uh, a fierce horse! It must be smoothed along the hair, otherwise he will give up."
"No, it's delayed a lot of things," Wen Rui complained, "But, according to the servants, in fact, this is because the censors mistakenly blamed Nanlin Mountain. Although it is a work-related matter, the Secretary-General made things for civilian use and trade. , don’t you want it?”
"I think your majesty likes it so much. I'm afraid it will be used for business in the future. It's not a bad idea."
"So that's it," Liu Xie thought to himself. This was really a long story. How could Bo Chang be so unlucky?
The same goes for the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty. Why do they always bully an honest man? At first, he was dirty and greedy for money, but he ended up humiliating many people with his "Han Chuang Fu".
The scroll of "Han Chuang Fu" written by Zhong Qing is still hanging on the crooked neck tree in Taiyuan College for the distinguished students to see.
It happened again this time. He murmured: "Why don't these people let Bo Chang go?"
Wen Rui next to him started sweating when he said this.
He wanted to remind him that maybe Qingtinghou would give him many opportunities...
Because what the censor said about impeachment was almost all true... He thought helplessly in his heart.
But I didn't dare to say it out loud, otherwise I would be displeased, and if Your Majesty wanted to blame me, it would probably cost the Prime Minister his life.
The school officials would also search his home for several crimes and nail him to the pillar of shame...
"What did the Prime Minister say about the impeachment?" Liu Xie raised his head and asked.
Wen Rui frowned and thought for a long time, and said: "It seems that someone from the Chancery came to report it, and the Prime Minister just sighed and said that the black-robed cavalry are elite elites who have made great contributions in recent years... "
"That's right," Liu Xie's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice: "The black-robed cavalry saved my life in the land of Hongnong! This is the heavenly soldier who saved me! Why can't it be expanded, and why can't it be refined? arms!?"
"Hmph!" Liu Xie slapped the document angrily, "Summoning all the civil and military officials, I will deal with what these people said today!"
"Hey, this slave will go and convey His Majesty's wishes."
…
Half an hour.
The inner city of Xudu was almost shaken. All the officials involved in the discussion immediately took carriages and entered the gate of the imperial city. After stopping, they filed in one after another.
No one knew what was going on.
Cao Cao's magnificent chariot also followed in the middle stream, and many older officials came to salute and inquire.
"Does the Prime Minister know why His Majesty suddenly summoned all the officials?"
"Well," Cao Cao walked with his back straight, "I just got the order and came immediately."
"Does anyone know anything about this?"
There was no answer from anyone around. After walking for a while on the stone road of the university grounds, Cao Cao suddenly stopped and said, "Is it because of your impeachment of Bochang?!"
His expression was slightly sullen, and many officials did not dare to look at him because of this, while many others remained indifferent, as if watching the fire from the other side.
There was an older man not far away. Although his face was old, he still looked handsome. He had mixed black and white beards, but his hair and beard were all neatly taken care of.
He glanced at Cao Cao from a distance, did not dare to say anything, and moved forward silently.
However, when Cao Cao saw him, he immediately walked beside him and walked side by side, "Sima Gong, have you been in good health recently?"
"Prime Minister," the old man was Sima Fang. Hearing Cao Cao's words, he smiled and bowed as if he was ashamed, "Thank you for your concern, my old body is still strong."
"Well, that's good. Sima Gong is the mainstay of the Han Dynasty, so he can't be exhausted due to busy official duties."
"Fuck, I still remember what Duke Sima taught me back then. Now it's a matter of repayment."
"Don't dare, don't dare..." Sima Fang's expression was calm, and he walked slowly with a smile. His demeanor was still relatively calm when walking, but he was not affected much by Cao Cao's words.
"Just now, the Prime Minister said that the summons of hundreds of officials this time may be the impeachment of the Dali Temple by the censor, but what did he think of?"
"Ha," Cao Cao smiled easily, shook his head and sighed: "What I can think of is that I recently intercepted a lot of letters sent from Jizhou to Yanzhou. In some of them, there were rumors about people who wanted to spread rumors, and Ibo often started to do it."
"In fact, the purpose is to continue to win over hundreds of officials to slander Bo Chang, causing constant chaos in the court, causing disunity and suspicion of each other, thus achieving the purpose of chaos."
"Thus, in the past one or two years of mutual preparation, the chaos of the capital and the stabilization of Jizhou will have the effect of one ebb and flow, and the preparations will naturally be more abundant in the future."
"Oh, that's it." Sima Fang responded briefly and briskly, but after saying these words, it was obvious that he was a little weird.
From the beginning of Cao Cao's rebellion, the most powerful thing now is to attack the hearts of his subordinates.
It was immediately obvious that Sima Fang had something up his sleeve and was very sensitive to this news.
But he knew that the Sima family would not surrender to Yuan Shao. At most, they would just express good intentions and pave the way for the outcome of the future war.
Cao Cao only told about the interception of the letter, but did not explicitly say that it contained a letter sent to him from Sima Fang. This was already a test.
Sima Fang seemed calm at the moment, but in fact, his heart was in turmoil and it was difficult to calm down.
The letter has been intercepted before, so why can it still be delivered to me?
The content of the letter did not go too far, and even if it fell into the hands of the school affairs office, it would not be a conviction.
So Sima Fang was still quite calm inside.
But he also became worried because of this. Maybe now his every move is under the surveillance of the Prime Minister.
"Hmph," Cao Cao sneered at this moment, and took the lead in increasing his pace, "That's all, there is no need to guess, you will naturally know the reason for the summons when you go to the palace."
"Not bad..." Sima Fang replied softly.
…
Not long after, all the officials gathered together, both civil and military. Liu Xie sat upright in the main hall, his face not very good-looking.
After Cao Cao was invited to sit on Liu Xie's side, he knelt down facing the officials. The officials bowed and saluted. Liu Xie opened his hands and said, "Everyone, please get up."
"This time we summoned hundreds of officials, all of whom were Qingtinghou, to expand the black-robed cavalry. There were many impeachments by the imperial censors. Thirty-seven of the memorials sent from the Chancellor's desk talked about this matter, in order to express dissatisfaction and rectify the matter. Chao Gang."
"I am deeply shocked and my heart aches."
Liu Xie said straightforwardly. These words were very vague. At this moment, few people could guess what the holy intention was. Most of them looked at each other silently and did not know its meaning.
Many people were in turmoil and began to speculate. Cao Cao had already understood it and smiled secretly. He moved his legs slightly and looked forward to it leisurely.
Isn't this scene the result of the previous plan?
After Cao Cao got the product called "Chicken Essence" developed by Zhang Han a few days ago, he only did one thing - brought it to the Food Superintendent for the emperor to try. This product can improve the taste of meals, and is rich and delicious. Your Majesty will definitely like it.
In particular, after fleeing from Chang'an to Xudu for several months, his requirements for food were actually much higher than those of ordinary people.
This plan is simple, you only need to do this one thing.
A well-timed push can stir up the situation to this point. If Cao Cao comes to the palace again to say good things about Zhang Han to Liu Xie, it will actually be counterproductive, because he has said it too many times, and this time he has to go alone. comprehend.
The place above the main hall slowly fell into calm. No one dared to break this calm. Not long after, Liu Xie sighed: "What makes me sad is that after so long, you are still trying to get in touch with Jizhou and plotting against others." I am a great and loyal minister."
"Um?"
"What do you mean by your Majesty's words?"
"So, His Majesty's thoughts are still towards Zhang Bochang..."
"It's because the censor was too fierce. The Prime Minister and His Majesty were unwilling to accept the case before. Under the cleanliness order, the school affairs office's investigation has become more and more strict. Some people may have just targeted Qingtinghou in order to save their lives."
"D."
"That's exactly what it means."
Liu Bei, who was behind, heard many whispers in his ears, which made his mind slightly moved.
"Why are the exchanges of letters with Jizhou still prohibited?" Liu Bei asked in his heart. He had been observing the court for a long time. Although the courtiers surrendered and the previous leaders Dong Cheng and Fu Wan were dead, these ministers The old minister will not surrender wholeheartedly to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Very stubborn.
In addition to these, they are still trying to restore the effectiveness of the pillars of the Han court, hoping to form a force to slightly weigh the power of the Prime Minister's Office. Among them, the biggest force at the moment is actually Yanguan.
Censors, court officials, and even Shangshutai are all targets of wooing.
The target of impeachment was naturally Zhang Han, because among Cao Cao's civil and military talents, only Zhang Han was always on top of the tide.
However, Bo Chang is indeed quite capable in allowing His Majesty to open up for him many times.
After the commotion, the ministers calmed down slightly, and Liu Xie said in a deep voice: "I have been having a hard time eating recently. Fortunately, Bo Chang sent me a newly developed product called Chicken Essence from the Nanlin Mountain Camp."
"It can be seasoned into meals to create a rich and delicious flavor. I love it, but it has been missing recently. Why?"
"Snapped!"
Liu Xie smashed the scroll accusing Zhang Han on the ground and said angrily: "It's all because he knew you were slandering the government! Impeachment! So he didn't dare to do any more research and development, so he had to give up this thing, and there would be no more output!"
"My food is available, and the princes and the people are not unhappy. If this can be produced in large quantities and sold to the north and south as merchants, then I can live up to the merchants of the Han Dynasty and prosper."
"Have you all forgotten what the Prime Minister mentioned at the court meeting in the early spring of this year?"
"Xun Lingjun, tell me, what is the prime minister talking about this year?"
Xun Yu stood up, bowed down, and said softly: "Reporting to Your Majesty is to prosper merchants and raise military resources."
"The way of prosperous merchants can be compared to oil and salt, which can make business live."
"Now that this place is cut off, it is difficult to find in the world. You are so good at reading this book. I was caught off guard!"
"Your Majesty," at this moment, someone also stood up in the court. Everyone saw that it was Chen Ji, the current governor of Yuzhou. Since Xu was in Yuzhou, he had to come to the court when the meeting was called, but his official status was still Foreign minister, "What the censor said should be to share the king's worries and be loyal to the king and the country. I hope your majesty will not be too harsh."
Liu Xie glanced at him and said: "I have thought deeply and know that there are too many people who care about Jizhou in the Yushitai. I feel uneasy and very sad."
He glanced down, his gaze was rather cold, and said: "Everyone in the memorials they wrote brazenly expressed their loyalty and their desire to relieve you of your worries."
"But I don't understand. I like the Prime Minister's assistance. I trust Bochang's wisdom even more. I am even more grateful for the help of the black-robed cavalry on the banks of the Hongnong River."
"Why don't you respect my wishes?"
"You keep saying that you are doing it for the Han Dynasty, but most of the things you do are beneficial to the princes in Jizhou, not to me."
"If so, Mr. Xun Ling."
"I'm here!"
Xun Yu bowed and listened to the order.
Liu Xiedao said: "I want to issue an edict to make Yuan Shao a Duke. Then I will record all these censors and send them to Yuan Gong's kingdom to become officials. They will not have to enter the court in the future."
"His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!! Don't do this!"
"Your Majesty, this is a minister's fault. You must not make him a public servant!"
These censors, school captains, and even many high-ranking officials among the Nine Qings were so frightened that they were struck by thunder after hearing Liu Xie's words. They knelt down on the ground and shouted, "No, if this is true, wouldn't they be killed?" Being labeled "disloyal" would be a shame to the entire family.
"What do you think, Prime Minister?" Liu Xie looked at Cao Cao.
At this moment, Cao Cao, with his back to Liu Xie, was secretly laughing.
This is really angry. If this edict is sent to Jizhou, Yuan Shao will definitely not dare to accept it and can only refuse.
Even secretly dealing with Xu Du has to be much more restrained. No one can bear this reputation. Once Yuan Shaoke is accepted, he will be targeted by the public.
Feng Gong?
How is this step different from Yuan Shu's?
That person in the new dynasty at that time, the path he took was to make him an official first. If Yuan Shao dared to take this step, he would be attacked by the whole world.
The princes who were still waiting and watching have finally found a way.
These censors could not be considered as meritorious to Jizhou. They were accused of being disloyal and would be beheaded by Yuan Shao if they were sent there.
Thinking of this, Cao Cao couldn't help but smile, "Haha, your Majesty is so wise, I feel very relieved."
"However, I still don't want to get involved in this matter. Among the censors, many people have mentioned the crime of harboring and connivance by low-ranking officials."
Cao Cao added lukewarmly.
The whole court wanted to take a breath and suck it dry.
Good guy, this sentence is just right and pushes the atmosphere towards a dead end...
"Haha, haha..." Liu Xie laughed angrily after a moment of silence.
He said in a deep voice: "In my opinion, this Yushitai can be abandoned."
After saying this, the entire court fell silent.
Your Majesty actually wants to abolish the entire Yushitai because of one person.
(End of chapter)
