Han family achievements

Chapter 514 Poetry and Wine
Huangfu Jian chewed his apple, looked at his expression, and said, "What's so surprising? However, this is not what your Majesty ordered."

Cheng Yu understood and suggested earnestly: "Cao Cao is not an ordinary person. Before Your Majesty ascended the throne, he had some reputation, but it was all embarrassing. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, he made many big mistakes, all of which were saved by Your Majesty's grace. He showed his talent in the expedition against Qiao Mao, Yuan Yi and others in Yanzhou. Then, he successively pacified the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou and the Black Mountain Army in Jizhou, and then wiped out Dong Zhuo and defeated the Wuhuan. His prestige was greatly boosted and unparalleled in the world. He is extremely important to the court and Your Majesty, and must not be touched lightly! If he expresses his dissatisfaction with anyone to Your Majesty, even the Prime Minister may not be able to bear it!"

Huangfu Jian stopped talking, spitting out the apple in his mouth repeatedly, and said in astonishment: "No way? Cao Cao, is he so powerful?"

Cheng Yu's expression became more serious, and he said, "It will be more powerful than we expected! Over the years, he has fought in the south and the north, and he has fought in all seven northern states. He has countless generals under his command. Once he is pushed into a corner, the seven states will be in chaos in an instant. I'm afraid that even Your Majesty will find it difficult to control the situation!"

Huangfu Jianchang slowly placed the apple in his hand on the table in front of him, staring at the apple with an unprecedented solemn expression and his eyes flashing violently.

Cao Cao's power was beyond his imagination.

In his original idea, since Cao Cao had entered Luoyang City and lost his military power, he would be like a fish on the chopping board, at his mercy.

But after hearing what Cheng Yu said, things were completely different from what he expected.

Cao Cao is not a fish on the chopping board, but an extremely sharp knife. Anyone who wants to touch him may suffer the backlash and be fatal!
After an unknown amount of time, Huangfu Jianchang slowly raised his head, looked at Cheng Yu, and said softly, "Your Majesty, are you really not afraid of him?"

Cheng Yu looked back and saw that no one was approaching. He said, "If you say you are not afraid, no one will believe it. But Second Young Master, don't forget the situation your majesty has faced since he ascended the throne. The twelve eunuchs occupied the palace, and General He Jin intimidated the rest of the country, but in the end your majesty easily won. Then there were internal and external troubles. The Yuan family was ambitious, and Yuan Wei controlled the court and colluded with Dong Zhuo to deploy troops in Hedong. The situation was so critical, but your majesty still survived safely. Then, rebellions broke out all over the country, and the "Han Dynasty will end" was rampant, but the second young master also saw the result. In just six or seven years, the Han Dynasty became stronger and stronger, conquered the seven northern states, and defeated the rebels one by one. Your Majesty's success today is definitely not just luck. If Cao Cao is a fierce tiger, then your Majesty is an experienced and deep hunter! He is definitely afraid of Cao Cao, but he also has enough confidence and ability to control Cao Cao! If there is any sign of losing control and threatening him, he will definitely die immediately! It's not that I trust your majesty blindly, but there are too many precedents and countless corpses to prove it! "

Huangfu Jian stared at the apple for a long time and said, "Then tell me, what should I do? Cao Cao is so powerful, once he reaches... one day, the consequences will be unimaginable. As a minister, I can't just do nothing."

Cheng Yu looked at Huangfu Jian's expression, was silent for a moment, and said: "Then do as the Second Young Master thinks, but it must be hidden enough, so that only Cao Cao and His Majesty know about it."

“We also want to let Cao Cao know?” Huangfu Jian was stunned for a moment.

Cheng Yu nodded and said, "We must make him aware of it. This is normal. If Your Majesty does not take any action against him, it will make Cao Cao suspicious."

Huangfu Jianzhang reached out and picked up the apple, took a big bite, and said, "Not only that. I want to do something that neither Cao Cao nor His Majesty would know about. If Cao Cao does anything wrong in the future, I will be able to stop him immediately!"

Cheng Yu was a little worried and said, "Cao Cao is a suspicious and cautious person. The generals around him are all his relatives or selected from the common people. He is even more cautious about his advisers and has almost no confidants. Second Master, are you sure?"

Huangfu Jian chewed the apple, making a sizzling sound, his movements were slow and his expression was cold. He said, "As long as Cao Cao is in Luoyang, I will have plenty of time to slowly select. He wants to be a lone minister, but he can't be a real lone minister!"

Cheng Yu looked at Huangfu Jianchang's unprecedented expression and became even more nervous. He said, "Second Master, should we report this to His Majesty? What if His Majesty's plan is ruined..."

Huangfu Jian smiled and said, "Don't worry. When I make a move, it will either be a sudden and fatal blow, or it will be a deadly move and no one will ever know about it."

Cheng Yu said no more.

Although Huangfu Jianchang was not a serious person on weekdays and rarely talked to them, once he really decided on something, no one could stop him.

Huangfu Jianchang had eaten half of an apple but suddenly stopped eating it and threw it away. He wiped his hands and stood up. Suddenly, he returned to his usual self and asked in confusion, "By the way, what has Old Shi been busy with recently? Why haven't I seen him?"

Cheng Yu immediately thought of Shi A and Cao Cao's old friendship as both rangers, and said, "I'm not sure."

Huangfu Jianchang nodded indifferently and said, "Let's ignore him for now. Have you made arrangements in Ji County and Hanzhong?"

Cheng Yu nodded and said, "It has been arranged. From top to bottom, there are more than a hundred people, and the secret points have been built."

Huangfu Jian stretched out his body, yawned, and said, "Then there is nothing to do, go back to sleep. By the way, sir, you should hurry up and get married. You will have a lot of free time recently, so enjoy yourself."

When Cheng Yu saw that Huangfu Jianchang was about to leave, he swallowed back what he was about to say and just considered whether he really wanted to go to the Grand Marshal's Mansion.

He was the "military officer" of the Imperial City, and Cao Cao could not hide this fact. If he really went there, he would be too conspicuous.

……

Today is the last day of the first year of Jian'an.

After finishing their work at court, officials at all levels returned home. They first had a family dinner, and then went out for a walk. After midnight, the whole Luoyang city was as bright as day and the noise was boiling.

Compared to the deserted residence of Grand Marshal Cao, the residence of Prime Minister Xun is extremely lively.

Xun Yu, Zhong Yao, Xun You, Xi Zhicai, Chen Lin and others gathered together. After having eaten and drunk their fill, they were now sitting in a room lit by charcoal fire, holding tea cups, and talking about all sorts of things with relaxed smiles.

After talking about family matters for an unknown amount of time, Chen Lin spoke first, saying, "It's already the court recess, but there's still no result. There's no movement in the palace either. I'm a little worried."

Xi Zhicai's face turned pale, and he coughed lightly, saying, "The palace is indeed too quiet. This is not your Majesty's character."

Zhong Yao glanced at Xun Yu and said, "Every time your majesty is silent, it means something is brewing. Prime Minister, is there no news?"

Xun Yu was the prime minister. Even if there was no news in the palace, he would still be able to hear some clues.

Xun Yu pondered for a moment and said, "This is indeed not your Majesty's style, but there is no need to think too much about it. The current priority is to implement the 'New Deal'. We just need to follow the procedures and don't have to think too much."

Xun You looked suspicious and asked, "Your Majesty, what did you see and hear during your inspection? Have you not found out yet?"

Xi Zhicai said, "I have talked with Cui Jun many times, and he avoided the important issues and seemed to be hiding something. Moreover, Your Majesty was too lenient towards Zuo Rong and did not show any anger at all."

Zuo Rong had caused such a big incident that it could be concealed for a while, but the court was not really blind.

In total, over a hundred people filed complaints with the Supreme Court, and the Censorate also found a lot of evidence, but there was still no progress.

If it was before, it was because Zuo Rong bribed so much that everyone from Luoyang to the local areas was silenced. But the emperor in the palace knew about it, and they investigated it thoroughly, so why couldn't they move forward?
Xun Yu, Zhong Yao, and Xun You all knew very well that the only one who could hinder them was the emperor in the palace.

But why did Your Majesty want to protect Zuo Rong?

He is a demon who disguises himself as a kind person and pretends to be a saint, but in fact he is evil and murderous!

Zhong Yao took a sip of tea and said, "According to what the Prime Minister said, we can just act according to the plan. If His Majesty really has new moves, we will just deal with them as they come."

What can they do about the Majesty in the palace?
Seeing this, Chen Lin said, "Then, what should we do about the meeting of the Secretariat? Wang Jingxing is stubborn and wants to tie the budget to 'performance evaluation'. Chen Gong, Huangfu Jianchang, Xu You and others want money and positions. The nine temples are quite resistant to further reform. If the dispute continues, even if the court is opened, it will take a while for a decision to be made."

Disputes in the court were not a one-day thing, or in other words, there were always disputes in all dynasties. It was not that Xun Yu, as the prime minister, could not make a decision, but that Xun Yu did not want to show the overbearing side of the "Yingchuan Party" and wanted to maintain the atmosphere of unity in the court as much as possible, and always focused on major discussions and consultations.

But when it came to this major proposal, the officials from the six ministries and nine temples were not polite. They explained their plans one by one, asking for money and food. Some even deliberately created obstacles and demanded that various matters, big and small, be mixed up with other matters and bundled together in order to compete for more benefits.

After Chen Lin finished speaking, everyone suddenly fell silent.

Noticing the sudden silence, the five people raised their heads and looked at each other.

In the past, whenever there was a dispute in the imperial court, the palace would intervene and make a decision in a timely manner, and it was rare for the imperial court to fall into the current chaos.

But the palace did not take any action.

Since returning from his inspection tour, His Majesty seemed to have become a different person. His interest in court affairs seemed to have disappeared, and he allowed the court to "develop freely."

"We can talk more during the break," Xun Yu said.

Xun Yu's words did not make others feel at ease.

None of those people in the court are vegetarians. Perhaps they cannot compare with the "Yingchuan Party" in terms of power, but when it comes to their background, none of them is simple.

For example, Wang Lang, as the leader of the "Yang Party", has a deep foundation and his influence inside and outside the court is probably greater than that of the Yingchuan Party.

Needless to say, Chen Gong, Huangfu Jianshou, Tian Feng and others are people who belong to the palace.

And Xu You, this troublemaker, was obviously fearless. Even though he had no close ties with the palace, he was obviously powerful enough.

People like Kong Rong also had an equally complex network of relationships. Kong Rong and Cai Yong were both great men of their time and had a very close relationship.

These people are capable of yelling and slamming the table in the prime minister's office, and are not people that the "Yingchuan Party" can manipulate at will.

Xun You opened his eyes slightly, suppressed his anger, and said, "I think it's time to capture someone to establish my authority."

Xi Zhicai's heart was slightly moved, and he asked, "Xu You?"

Xun You snorted coldly and said, "If this guy is not taught a lesson, he will not know how high the heaven is and how deep the earth is. Luoyang City is not a place for him to run rampant!"

When Xu You was serving as the Attendant of the Ministry of Justice, he showed his "fearless" character. He even wanted to investigate his superior Ma Jun, and he unscrupulously collected "evidence" of other officials. This made the officials in Luoyang City very disgusted, and they unanimously excluded and isolated him.

As the largest force in Luoyang City, the Yingchuan Party was naturally deeply affected by him and could no longer tolerate him.

"What do you want to do?" Zhong Yao asked.

Seeing that he had no objection, Xun You said, "It's simple. Doesn't he like investigating cases? I'll give him the case and let him investigate it to his heart's content!"

Xi Zhicai's mouth twitched subconsciously. He was transferred from the Censorate to the Supreme Court, and he knew the complexity and difficulty of the investigation process. If he really planned enough against Xu You, he might even kill him!
Zhong Yao frowned slightly. This method was not worthy of being displayed in public.

Although it is often useful.

"alright,"

Xun Yu interrupted them and said, "Don't make any more trouble. I will take care of the details. I will decide everything on the first day of the court."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lin quickly said, "The Prime Minister is sure."

Xun Yu nodded and said calmly, "What do you think about the Grand Marshal's Mansion?"

Everyone was a little hesitant. Xun Yu, can you really easily deal with those people in the court? If you don't satisfy their appetite, will they admit defeat in the Shangshutai meeting room?
Seeing Xun Yu change the subject, the crowd hesitated to ask further questions, and Zhong Yao said: "His requests are all reasonable and fair, nothing excessive."

Cao Cao actually did not ask for anything. His main request was to fill the vacancies in the Secretariat and secondly, he needed the cooperation of the Secretariat for some plans of "military reform".

That's it.

As for the others, their main responsibilities lie with the military sergeant.

Xun You was somewhat skeptical and said, "It's just too reasonable, which makes it irrational."

Chen Lin, Xi Zhicai and others knew that Xun You was extremely wary of Cao Cao and had been trying to send Cao Cao to prison for years, but his protection in the palace had failed.

Xun Yu nodded slightly to Xun You and said, "I think so too, Gongda. You should find a chance to meet the Grand Marshal and give him more."

Xun You immediately laughed and said, "Okay, I'll do it."

"Let's not talk about the rest for now."

Xun Yu straightened his back, stood up and said, "It's a rare day off, let's talk about romance."

Seeing this, everyone stood up with a smile.

Not long after, wine and food were served again, and various drinking orders were shouted among them.

The only difference from ordinary people's drinking competition is that their victory or defeat depends on poetry and painting, which shows their elegance.

Everyone present was well-educated and no one was willing to give in to anyone else. The noise spread from the backyard to the front yard.

The Prime Minister's family and servants were all very surprised when they heard the noise.

Their master has always been meticulous, but today, he seems a little unruly?
While the giants of the 'Yingchuan Party' were enjoying themselves with poetry and wine, other people in the court were also busy. The relationships were complicated, with people coming and going, and it was quite lively.

(End of this chapter)