The group returned to the hall, and the guests and hosts took their seats.
Yang Biao had a good impression of Lu Xuan. He felt that Lu Xuan was kind-hearted, had no airs, and did not have the youthful energy of a young man. He always said that his son Yang Xiu was arrogant, unruly, too arrogant, and had common problems among young people.
But Yang Biao didn't feel it when Lu Xuan was here.
This is exactly why Lu Xuan is not simple.
A young man at such a young age has mastered the four southern states. The key is that these territories were conquered by Lu Xuan's troops, so Lu Xuan has the capital to be proud.
Unfortunately, not at all.
Yang Biao adjusted his mood, did not beat around the bush, and said straight to the point: "Lu Qiaoqi, I am here on behalf of Your Majesty. I hope you will give up the title of king and draw a clear line between you and Yuan Shao."
Lu Xuan smiled softly and said: "Mr. Yang, both my father and I are devoted to the great man. But I control the land of the four states, and the stakes are too big. The people below are all booing and asking me to claim the title of king. I can’t move forward or retreat.”
Yang Biao understood immediately.
Lu Xuan's words were a polite refusal and gave him face. At the same time, Lu Xuan also asked for conditions to see how Yang Biao would answer.
Yang Biao knew that it was Lu Xuan who had the initiative. He was passive in everything and did not go around in circles. He said directly: "Lu Qiaoqi, your Majesty values you very much."
"In view of Lu Xiuqi's meritorious service in governing the south, His Majesty consecrated Lu Xiuqi as the Great Sima General and granted him the title of Duke of Wu."
"There is no such official position in the court, and there is no such precedent in the past two hundred years. Such an edict is the greatest sincerity of His Majesty. Lu Qiaoqi is a person loyal to the Han Dynasty, and he should understand the difficulties of the court."
Yang Biao took advantage of the situation and said: "In addition to this aspect, His Majesty also granted Lu Xiuqi a marriage and gave Lu Xiuqi Tang Ji, the concubine of the former Hongnong King."
Lu Xuan laughed when he heard it.
Cao Cao had previously married his daughter Cao Xian to him.
Now, here comes the marriage offer again.
Cao Cao was really willing to spend money to win over him. However, in Lu Xuan's heart, he had no intention of giving up on becoming king. He would definitely become king. After becoming the king, Lu Xuan's strength can be further improved.
Lu Xuan did not refuse directly and said: "Mr. Yang, this is a serious matter. Let me discuss it."
Yang Biao said: "Please Lu Qiaoqi think twice."
Lu Xuan nodded and called his attendants to take Yang Biao and Yang Xiu down. He immediately arranged for people to invite Jia Xu, Lu Su and Gu Yong, and directly told them about Yang Biao's mission and the court's arrangements.
Finally, Lu Xuan asked: "What do you think about Cao Cao's imperial seal?"
Lu Su looked determined and said, "My lord, Yuan Shao has proclaimed himself king in Jizhou, and we are also making intensive preparations. The currently selected time is December 12, which is an auspicious day."
"According to Zuo Ci, December 12th matches the Lord's birth date and fate."
"Everyone knows that my lord is going to be king. If we give up now, wouldn't it mean that people's hearts are scattered? Once the arrow is on the string, it is impossible to make any changes. Therefore, we cannot agree to Cao Cao's arrangement."
Lu Su said: "Cao Cao's intention is to stabilize the lord and then unite with the lord to attack Yuan Shao. Cao Cao cannot be satisfied."
Gu Yong nodded and said: "We have tried our best to let Yuan Shao become king first, just to let Yuan Shao attract the attention of the world's scholars. Now that Yuan Shao has gathered everyone's hostility and contempt, it is the best choice for my lord to take advantage of the situation and become king." "
Jia Xu smiled slightly and said, "My lord, I have an idea."
Lu Xuan smiled and said, "What are Wen He going to do?"
Jia Xu said in a deep voice: "My lord has reached this point and must become the king. If my lord does not become the king, the soldiers will be disappointed and the officials will be alienated. The gains outweigh the losses. However, there are different choices for the same king."
"Yuan Shao established himself as king, which means he took the official position on his own. He showed his ambition and many scholars did not recognize it. The reason why we encouraged Yuan Shao at the beginning was to let him attract everyone's hatred."
"Under this premise, the resistance to the lord becoming king will be much smaller."
"If Cao Cao doesn't care about it, my lord will directly declare himself king. Now, Cao Cao has sent envoys to prove that Cao Cao cares about this matter, so we can make different arrangements, and my lord will have more choices."
"In other words, the lord has a better choice, so the court can make the lord king."
Jia Xu's eyes flashed and he said loudly: "Once the imperial court decrees that the lord is king of Wu, compared to Yuan Shao, the lord is reasonable and legal, and no one objects. On the contrary, Yuan Shao suddenly became a careerist, and the two sides made a judgment."
Lu Xuan's eyes lit up when he heard this.
Wonderful!
Jia Xu's proposal is completely feasible.
Lu Su took the words and said: "I understand Mr. Jia's plan. Yuan Shao has already proclaimed himself king, which has made Cao Cao very anxious. Once my lord proclaims himself king again, it will be a price that Cao Cao cannot bear."
"Compared to letting the lord establish himself as king, the imperial court decreed that the lord be the King of Wu, which at least provides an extra layer of fig leaf."
"It is right or wrong that the Liu family is not the king, but when Empress Lu came to the throne, she arbitrarily made the children of the Lu family kings, and no one said anything. Therefore, under the premise that Cao Cao had no choice, he must make the lord the king."
Lu Su's eyes sparkled, and he felt more and more that Jia Xu's proposal was shrewd, and said: "My lord, there is no need to go around in circles with Yang Biao, just state the conditions directly. Yang Biao went back with your order to ask for the imperial seal, and Cao Cao could only hold his nose and admit it. ”
Lu Xuan also laughed, nodded and said: "Then let's do it."
He asked Jia Xu, Lu Su and Gu Yong to retreat, invited Yang Biao and Yang Xiu back again, and said directly: "Mr. Yang, I'm really sorry. The civil and military officials below have always been opposed."
Yang Xiu's eyes lit up when he heard this.
He said that Lu Xuan would never give up on becoming king, and that was indeed the case.
This is the master he recognizes.
Yang Biao sighed dejectedly and said: "Lu Qiaoqi insists on becoming king, so I can only report to your majesty truthfully."
Lu Xuan continued: "I can make some adjustments to my title of king. I hope that the imperial court will grant me the title of King of Wu, and I will respect the Han Dynasty. The time for me to become king will be on December 12, when Duke Yang returns to After Luoyang, I ask Your Majesty to make a decision. If the imperial court grants me the title, I will still be a Han official. If the imperial court does not grant the title, I will learn from Yuan Shao and stand on my own."
Yang Xiu was even more impressed.
What a plan!
This strategy is really brilliant.
In this way, the difficulty was thrown to Cao Cao. If Cao Cao did not make Lu Xuan King of Wu, it would be Cao Cao who ultimately led to Lu Xuan's self-reliance. In the end, Cao Cao will definitely ban Lu Xuan.
Yang Xiu became more and more certain that this was the lord he wanted to serve, and he had already made up his mind to stay.
As for my father, there is nothing wrong with returning to court.
Yang Biao was a man who had experienced high officialdom. After listening to Lu Xuan's words, he understood the wisdom behind them. He took a deep look at Lu Xuan and said, "I will convey Lu Qiaoqi's conditions to Your Majesty. I am not sure how the court will arrange it."
Lu Xuan smiled and said: "It's okay, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Yang."
He looked at Yang Xiu and said with a smile: "Mr. Yang wants to return to the court to resume his life, and I will not persuade him to stay. However, Yang Xiu is very talented, and I appreciate it very much. I wonder if Yang Xiu is willing to stay in Shu County and serve me. ? My subordinates are lacking talents like Yang Xiu."
"Yang Xiu, meet my lord."
Yang Xiu stepped forward without hesitation, put his hands together, bowed at 90 degrees, and gave a solemn salute.
Yang Biao's cheeks twitched.
What a traitor.
Don't even show any humility, don't even think about the slightest excuse, just submit directly.
His son had an unruly temperament and would completely ignore anyone he met who he didn't like. When he met someone like Lu Xuan, he immediately gave up, which made Yang Biao a little dissatisfied.
It is easy for such a character to get involved in officialdom and suffer losses.
Lu Xuan smiled slightly and said: "Dezu is very talented. Let's do this. Stay with me and be a chief reporter."
Dezu is the cousin of Yang Xiu.
Yang Xiu was excited when he heard Lu Xuan address him by his epithet, and he said loudly: "I obey my orders."
Lu Xuan thought about the fact that beside him, there were two chief reporters, Zhuge Jin and Kan Ze, and now Yang Xiu was added as chief reporter. Although everyone was young, Zhuge Jin was the oldest, such a small cabinet group , further enriching Lu Xuan’s think tank.
When Yang Biao saw this scene, he was kind to his son and said, "Lu Qiaoqi, I have something personal to say to you."
Lu Xuan smiled and said, "Mr. Yang, please speak."
Yang Biao said sternly: "Dezu, this kid, is young and energetic, and has always been unruly, arrogant, and arrogant. He can easily offend others when he does things, and he doesn't know how to live in harmony with others."
"He has talent, and I agree."
"However, if you are too sharp in your life and show off your cleverness, it will be difficult to achieve success. Therefore, I sincerely ask Lu Xiuqi to polish him more and give him opportunities to hone his skills. This is the selfishness of an old father. Please respect Lu Xiuqi. pity."
He put his hands together and saluted Lu Xuan solemnly.
Yang Xiu snorted: "Father, you underestimate your son too much. Don't worry..."
"Shut up!"
Yang Biao scolded sharply.
He looked at Lu Xuan again and said solemnly: "Please Lu Qiaoqi, please go ahead and beat him and sharpen him."
Lu Xuan praised Jiang for being so old, and Yang Biao looked at Yang Xiu with a clear eye, but Yang Xiu was too smart, didn't know how to hide his clumsiness, didn't know how to be accommodating, and didn't know how to be patient.
When it comes to patience, people from the Sima family are the best at it.
It's a pity that Yang Xiu doesn't understand.
Lu Xuan smiled softly, nodded and said, "I have taken note of Mr. Yang's request."
After Yang Biao thanked him again, he stood up and left.
Lu Xuan called Zhuge Jin directly, asked Zhuge Jin to take Yang Xiu down to adapt, and left Yang Xiu to Zhuge Jin to take care of.
Yang Biao left Shu County, took the waterway all the way north, and returned to Luoyang in early November. He came to Sikong Mansion, saw Cao Cao in the hall, and said directly: "Sikong, Lu Xuan refused the court's arrangement. Lu Xuan said that the court decreed that he be the King of Wu, and he still respects the court. Otherwise, Lu Xuan will Make yourself king.”
Cao Cao's pupils shrank when he heard this, and he was even more shocked.
From the bottom of his heart, Cao Cao hoped that Lu Xuan would become king.
If Lu Xuan proclaims himself king, it will be easier for him. But now, Lu Xuan asked the imperial court to grant the seal, handing over the problem to him all at once. Because he conferred the title of Lu Xuan on behalf of the imperial court, this was tantamount to breaking the conventions of the Han Dynasty, and he would definitely suffer infamy.
What a treacherous Lu Xuan.
First he plotted against Yuan Shao, and now, he plotted against him with the help of the title of king.
