Three Kingdoms: Cao Cao and Liu Bei help me to ascend the throne

Chapter 24 No middlemen to make the difference
Next to the official road from Luoyang City to Bashu, in a quiet farm.

The sound of quarreling came from a distance, startling a few birds that were nesting on the branches...

"How could this be?" Liu Yu's expression was full of surprise. "Empress Song's case involved Cao's family? Are Cao Song imprisoned and tortured?"

Zhang Yulan stared at Liu Yu and nodded slightly. "The news from the ghost guards is just like this. The case of Empress Song's witchcraft is deeply involved. Many scholar-bureaucrats who have been implicated in Yin Qianghou have been imprisoned, but the Cao family is the only one, and only Cao Song has been imprisoned!"

This…

Liu Yu blinked her eyes.

he murmured.

"It shouldn't be!"

"Ah Man has broken off friendship with the Song family. This matter has been widely spread in Luoyang City. Your Majesty should not know about it!"

Liu Yu's eyes were lowered, her forehead was full of question marks.

According to his understanding of this period of historical events, even if Cao Cao did not break up with the Song family, the Cao family would be implicated to a certain extent, so that the Cao family fell into decline for two years, and Cao Cao was also depressed for two years, but it was far from being imprisoned. The torture was so severe.

Could it be... backfired?
hiss…

Liu Yu was a little confused.

Even if it was because of his existence that the butterfly effect appeared to a certain extent, the trend of this case is a bit weird!
Zhang Yulan added in a timely manner: "According to the news from the ghost soldiers, the Luoyang order did not mention the letter of renunciation that Cao Cao returned to the Song family during the entire trial process, let alone the matter that the Cao family returned the gift box of the Song family! perhaps…"

Zhang Yulan paused for a moment, then continued: "Perhaps the emperor knew about this, so Cao Song was the only one imprisoned, and no one else was implicated. At least Brother Yu saved your best friend. It's a blessing among misfortunes!"

wrong…

As soon as Sister Yulan blurted out these words, Liu Yu felt something was wrong.

Who is Liu Hong today?

In Liu Yu's view, this is a "sixth son" who is proficient in trickery under the show of luxury and money...

Looking back on these years, in order to centralize power, his political show is simply wonderful!
Not to mention, when he became emperor at the age of 13 years old, he sent a wet nurse to contact the eunuchs, and in the name of "arching" Wei Huangquan, they united to fight against relatives and powerful officials, and sacrificed a pair of "underworld" in the court. "scene;
Seven years later, four years after Xiping, the 21-year-old emperor Liu Hong started a series of "centralization" operations!

First, Cai Yong, who is good at calligraphy, wrote down the "Five Classics" corrected by the court in ancient Chinese, big seal, and official script, engraved it on a stone tablet, and erected it outside the gate of Taixue, so that the poor children in the empire could study it!
It can be said that a Xiping stone tablet bypassed the monopoly of the aristocratic family and successfully popularized scriptures within the empire, which greatly won the favor of a wave of poor families;

In the sixth year of Xiping, Liu Hong learned from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to engage in internal affairs and play checks and balances, and set up a confidant guard, and set up his headquarters in the Palace of Longevity...

He even upgraded "Shizhong Cao", a subordinate of one of the Jiuqing's Shaofu, to "Shizhong Temple", and gave him the right to supervise and review Shangshutai!
The "menxia province" in the system of three provinces and six ministries in the later Tang Dynasty was almost understood by him in advance!
The difference is that the official of the "Servant Temple" is Liu Hong's confidant eunuch Zhang Rang, one of the ten permanent attendants!
This is equivalent to Liu Hong using eunuchs to check and balance the officials of the Manchu Dynasty, directly controlling the Shangshutai, and not giving these gentry the opportunity to become powerful officials.

In the seventh year of Xiping and the first year of Guanghe, that is, this year, Liu Hong's even more amazing operations came!
He found that aristocratic families screened talents by monopolizing the interpretation of Confucian classics.

Therefore, he simply set up a specialized school at the beginning of the year - Hongdumen School!
This place does not teach the scriptures and prophecies that the family is best at, but the writing of poems and official documents!

This is equivalent to later generations, I will use "Hongdu Vocational and Technical School" to directly wrestle with you "a prestigious school"!
Naturally, he was favored by all the poor children in the empire.

The more coquettish operation is that "Hongdu Menxue" will still be employed after graduation, and will be sent to various places as governors, county guards, and even enter the court as ministers and servants!
It is simply to open up a new track, open up the "study-employment" logic chain, "empower" the children of the poor, and "roll" the children of the aristocratic families to death...

It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the "youth version" of the imperial examination system.

The point is, once the school of Hongdu School started, it became popular all over the empire...

Almost, Liu Hong single-handedly broke the monopoly of the aristocratic family in officialdom, and completely shook the foundation of the aristocratic family.

Look at the past ten years, he has promoted and reused many capable ministers with lower backgrounds!
For example, Lu Zhi, although his teachers are Ma Rong from the Ma family in Fufeng, and Chen Qiu from the Chen family in Xiapi...

One is a master of Confucian classics, and the other is a court captain.

But Lu Zhi himself has no family background, and this kind of people with no family background and no background are the easiest to grasp!

It is also relatively easy to check and balance!
Another example is Zhu Jun, in Shangyu County, Kuaiji...he lost his father when he was young, and he took care of his mother alone. With his ability to calm chaos, he was noticed by Liu Hong.

It's just like a low-level commoner...

Simply, Liu Hong directly promoted him to the imperial court as an advising doctor, bypassing the bullshit "dual monarchy" and making Zhu Jun's allegiance to only his emperor, Liu Hong!
No middlemen make the difference!

There are many promotions like this!

Just imagine…

Such an emperor who had to show off his political wisdom and tricks.

In his eyes, how could there be a middle ground?
In Liu Yu's opinion...

The Queen Song witchcraft case is bound to happen, the purpose is naturally to weaken the aristocratic family, completely eliminate the hidden dangers of foreign relatives, and strengthen the continuation of imperial power...

As for the eunuch Cao Song involved!

According to the means of this emperor, he either does not arrest, or arrests all of them!
Leave Cao Cao outside?How could there be no deep meaning?

Liu Yu's eyeballs rolled again and again...

He pondered for a long time!
Finally, with a "gudong", he swallowed sharply.

He seemed to figure it out all at once. "The purpose of keeping Cao Cao abroad is not a wealthy family, but... but an eunuch!"

Thinking of this, Liu Yu gasped...

He got it!
He completely figured it out!

These years, the emperor Liu Hong suppressed the rich and noble families as a grand plan, but in the process, it aroused a lot of public anger.

For checks and balances!

He needed a human sacrifice to appease this rage.

Another major reason why the ancient emperors reused eunuchs and treacherous craftsmen.

It is these traitors and eunuchs who are held in the hands of the emperor.

To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the emperor, these traitors are just dogs...

As long as the current situation requires, the emperor can get rid of these "eunuchs and sycophants" at any time to anger the common people, and these sycophants have exploited the people for decades, and all the money and food they have accumulated have been transferred to the national treasury!
This special thing is the second treasury!

So and so... Just get rid of a few eunuchs!

Public outrage subsided;
The power of the rich and powerful clans is weakened;
There is also money...

This is the strategy of today's emperor Liu Hong. He started the mill with the wheat he picked up. This is a business with no profit at all!

Thinking of this episode, Liu Yu's eyes narrowed into a slit, and he seemed to see... a game of Zhenlong chess has been laid out today, and the sunspot in his hand is Cao Cao!

Just wait for this black death to fall to the ground, and kill all over the board!

"Ah, oh, can you understand this level?"

Liu Yu murmured subconsciously...

At this moment, he took a quick step outside.

"Brother Yu? Where are you going?"

Zhang Yulan stopped Liu Yu...

"Go back to Luoyang! Something big is going to happen there!"

Unexpectedly, with just such a sentence, Zhang Yulan's face turned cold. "Don't go!"

what…

Liu Yu was startled,

Zhang Yulan's face was gloomy. "Now that my father is sick, he only hopes to see you before he dies. Even if there is a big event, you have to go to Bashu with me first!"

This…

Liu Yu didn't know how to reply.

On one side is his savior, the final entrustment of his father-like master.

On one side is his best friend, the "thigh" he needs to hug tightly in the future.

he…

How should he choose?
...

...

(End of this chapter)