Han family achievements

Chapter 556: A life-and-death confrontation

"Zhongcheng."

After an unknown amount of time, the Junior Secretary of the Taiyuan came in from outside and whispered, "Envoy Liu from Yuzhou has arrived, and he has brought the city defense soldiers with him. It seems that they are coming with great force."

Tian Feng remained calm, put away the list in front of him, and said, "Please come in."

The Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Justice knew the list and knew the consequences would be serious if they really arrested the people. He followed beside them and said casually, "Secretary, I heard that the Right Sima passed through Yingchuan when he returned to the capital from Jingzhou last time. He stayed for more than three days and had a banquet with many famous people in Yingchuan."

Tian Feng seemed not to hear and went straight downstairs.

"Zhongcheng, the posthouse has been surrounded." Hou, a member of the Imperial Guard who was in charge of protecting Tian Feng, immediately stepped forward and whispered.

Tian Feng looked calm as he looked at the indifferent Liu Yao and the officials of Yuzhou such as Zhao Yu behind him. He raised his hand and said calmly, "Envoy Liu, what are you going to do?"

Liu Yao did not want to confront Tian Feng. This man was a madman who could do anything. But if Tian Feng continued, he would lose face as the governor and would have no prestige in Yuzhou.

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Minister Tian, ​​it is the time of summer farming now. The whole of Yuzhou is fully implementing the court's 'new policy' to open up the land and settle the people. You are arresting people recklessly and have neglected the government affairs of Yuzhou. I now ask you to stop all actions immediately. Before arresting anyone, you must get my permission!"

Tian Feng shook his head and said, "There is no such rule. Unless we are arresting the governor of Liuzhou or an official of the third rank or above, I do not need to ask anyone for permission in advance."

"Be bold!"

Zhao Yu jumped out and shouted, "This is Yuzhou! This is Pei County! Even if you are the Chief Censor, you are not qualified to speak to Liuzhou Mu like this!"

Tian Feng ignored him, and said calmly, "Envoy Liu, I haven't looked for you yet after you let Mi Zhu and Mi Fang go. Envoy Liu, should you give me a reasonable explanation? If you let them go without authorization, will you still be so confident even if the case is brought to the court and before His Majesty?"

Liu Yao was not afraid at all. He snorted coldly and said, "Can you please stop and fight the lawsuit first? I will put aside my affairs in Yuzhou and personally accompany Tian Zhongcheng to Luoyang. Whether it is the Shangshutai or Chongde Palace, I will accompany him to the end!"

When Zhao Yu and the others saw Liu Yao like this, their morale suddenly increased, and they all said, "We are willing to accompany you, sir!"

"I am willing to go, the official!"

"Count me in!"

"And I!"

At one time, more than ten officials, both big and small, stood up.

Tian Feng took a deep look at Liu Yao. He was not frightened by the aura in front of him. His expression remained unchanged. He glanced at the city defense soldiers surrounding the posthouse and said, "Since Envoy Liu is willing to come to the capital for a confrontation, I have no objection. However, the Censorate still has a lot of complaints in its hands, with witnesses and evidence. Will Envoy Liu send someone to escort them, or will I keep them myself?"

Liu Yao's face changed slightly, his eyes flashing with anger, and he said, "Tian Feng, do you really want to take things to this extent?"

The Han Dynasty had long been rotten. Not to mention Yuzhou, even in Luoyang City, corruption was rampant and everyone was willing to take bribes. It was an open secret known to everyone.

Even though the imperial court has repeatedly ordered the "rectification of officialdom", in Yuzhou, the so-called "honest officials" are still very rare and can be counted on one's fingers.

If Tian Feng really brought some well-known but shameful things to the Shangshu Terrace, or even to the Chongde Hall, then everyone would lose face. The imperial court and the Chongde Hall would be furious, and naturally the people of Yuzhou would bear the brunt of the thunder.

Faced with Liu Yao's anger, Tian Feng remained calm and said, "Envoy Liu, you can go back now. I will pretend that nothing happened."

Liu Yao originally came here with his officials to "save face". If he returned in disgrace, how would he go out in the future?

His face was as hard as iron, his eyes were wide open, and he said, "Tian Zhongcheng, if you want to be the iron-willed and upright Zhongcheng Yushi, I don't care! But this is Yuzhou, I have to consider millions of common people. If you insist on doing it, I am willing to accompany you to the end!"

Tian Feng was more and more surprised, looking at Liu Yao, who was usually hesitant and looked ahead, but today seemed to be determined to go all out.

After a moment's hesitation, Tian Feng said, "Rectifying the administration of officials is a matter of state affairs. As the Chief Censor, I have no choice but to do this. I have taken note of what Envoy Liu said. Envoy Liu surrounded the imperial envoy with soldiers in order to protect corrupt officials. I am very curious, what will Envoy Liu do next?"

Tian Feng's words and deeds hinted that Liu Yao was planning a rebellion.

Liu Yao snorted coldly and said, "This official and Tian Zhongcheng are old friends. We have worked together in Yuzhou for many years. Now Tian Zhongcheng is in Pei County. As a good friend and former superior, why not entertain him? Come on, prepare a chessboard. This official wants to play chess with Tian Zhongcheng!"

Tian Feng's face showed a strange expression, and he said, "You want to put me under house arrest? In broad daylight, in front of everyone, do you know what crime this is?"

Liu Yao didn't say anything, took the lead and went straight to the posthouse.

Zhao Yu and other Yuzhou officials, both great and small, held their heads high and followed Liu Yao.

Seeing the behavior of Liu Yao and the officials of Yuzhou, the Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Justice was worried. He stepped forward and whispered to Tian Feng, "Secretary, what on earth is this Envoy Liu trying to do?"

Tian Feng turned around and watched Liu Yao and the others enter the room. His eyes were filled with murderous intent, and he said calmly, "It seems that Liu Yao is really being pushed into a corner."

The Junior Prime Minister became more and more uneasy and said, "If the Zhongcheng is really put under house arrest here, it will be a disgrace to the court, to His Majesty, and to the Han Dynasty. This is forcing the Zhongcheng to perish together with him. It is impossible for Envoy Liu not to know this truth..."

Tian Feng frowned, glanced at him, and said, "Go on."

The Junior Prime Minister bowed and said, "Secretary Prime Minister, do you think that Envoy Liu is involved in this? I heard that Liu Yao and Liu Bei have always been close. They once joined forces to resist Yuan Shao and confronted the Grand Marshal in the battle against Dong Zhuo. Now, Liu Bei is the Right Marshal and is very close to the Yingchuan Party... Will Liu Yao..."

"will not."

Tian Feng denied it directly. He looked at Liu Yao who was already sitting in the room and said indifferently, "You can say that Liu Yao is mediocre and incompetent, and timid, but he is very careful about his reputation and is self-righteous. He will never get involved with people like Mi Zhu! He probably did this because he had no choice but to do it."

The Junior Prime Minister nodded in understanding, turned his head and glanced, and said, "Second Prime Minister, we only have a hundred or so imperial guards, and the city defense soldiers are probably close to a thousand, and the troops in Yuzhou are all in Liu Bei's hands, so they can't be mobilized at all. What should we do now?"

They couldn't really be placed under house arrest by Liu Yao here. Whether the case could be handled or not was another matter. But if the Chief Censor was placed under house arrest, how could Tian Feng and the Censorate put their reputations aside?

Tian Feng suddenly put his hands behind his back, a smile appeared on his face, and he said, "If he wants to play chess, then he can play chess for as long as he wants."

The Junior Chancellor was startled and said quickly, "Central Chancellor, Liu Yao is seeking his own death, why should the Central Chancellor accompany him?"

If Tian Feng and Liu Yao continue to stalemate and refuse to give in, it will ultimately damage the reputation of the court and His Majesty. When the big stick comes down, neither of them will have a good result.

At the very least, both of them will lose their official positions!

One is the Chief Censor, one is the governor of a province, one is the Chief Censor of the Censorate, and one is a provincial governor. Their future is ruined like this. Who can accept this?
Tian Feng waved his hand and walked in without saying a word.

Seeing that Tian Feng refused to give in, Zhong Yao was prepared to fight to the death. He angrily took the chess piece and put it down with a snap.

Tian Feng calmly followed suit.

Snapped

This voice made Zhao Yu and others frightened, and they couldn't help but look at each other secretly.

Even at this point, Tian Feng still refused to stop? Was he willing to sacrifice his own future just to catch those corrupt officials?

Liu Yao knew Tian Feng's temper, so he just kept a gloomy face and made his moves. Tian Feng had no expression, no smile, no anger, he looked at the chessboard carefully and made his moves carefully.

After more than a dozen moves, Liu Yao finally couldn't help it. He looked at Tian Feng and said in a deep voice: "If this incident is really known to everyone and the court is furious, after you and I go to the capital, there will be many people who will speak up for me!"

Tian Feng suddenly realized something and said, "So this is what you were thinking."

Liu Yao had an outstanding reputation among the Qingliu people and was a member of the royal family. In addition, he had connections with Liu Bei and the Yingchuan Party. When he arrived in Luoyang, there would really be countless people speaking for him.

On the other hand, Tian Feng had no roots in Luoyang, no friends or factions, so one can imagine the situation he faced.

But he remained calm and made his moves slowly and at a moderate pace.

Seeing that he was unmoved, Liu Yao became furious. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! Since you are determined to do this, Liu Yao will accompany you to the end!"

Liu Yao was enraged.

It can be said that he gave Tian Feng countless ways out, but Tian Feng refused to take a single step. With no way to retreat, he could only fight to the death with Tian Feng!

The officials of all ranks from the Censorate behind Tian Feng also became hesitant and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

In this matter, the Censorate was clearly in the right, but things had gotten to this point and they couldn't explain themselves in Luoyang.

Once the court stands on Liu Yao's side, Tian Feng and the officials of the Censorate will have to bear the wrath of the court and His Majesty.

No one spoke anymore.

Things have escalated to this point, and both sides have no way out and can only go down this path.

So Liu Yao and Tian Feng really played chess.

Apart from eating and sleeping, the two of them were playing chess and neither of them left the inn.

Including their subordinates, no matter how much they were suffering, they were still competing with each other, hoping that the other side would not be able to bear it and retreat first.

This confrontation lasted until the third day. Some rumors gradually spread in Xiang County. Various discussions quietly emerged, accompanied by the resulting rumors.

"Have you heard? Envoy Liu has placed all the people from the Censorate under house arrest!"

"Don't talk nonsense! Envoy Liu and Minister Tian have been close friends for many years. It's just a treat."

"I saw it at the post house. No one could get out. The officials from the Censorate couldn't even get close to the gate."

"Don't talk nonsense! Envoy Liu and Minister Tian..."

"Alright, alright. I do know a little bit. It is said that Tian Feng wanted to arrest someone, and General Liu was worried that it would ruin government affairs, so he put Tian Feng and others under house arrest!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Envoy Liu..."

"Shut up! The news I got is that Liu Shijun and Tian Feng have had a grudge for a long time. Tian Feng came here to take revenge. Liu Shijun couldn't stand it anymore, so he arrested Tian Feng and others!"

……

Liu Bian was sitting at a table not far away, savoring the tea in his mouth. He shook his head and said to Liu Bei opposite him: "Before in Xinye, someone told me that the tea in Yuzhou is good. This one tastes worse than the tea in Xinye. It's full of bitterness and has no sweet aroma..."

Liu Bei had a broad face and big ears, and looked honest. He bowed and said seriously, "Your Majesty... Sir, rumors in the market cannot be trusted."

Liu Bian took another sip, shook his head, and said, "Not entirely. When I was in Yingchuan, Lu Yu sent me some good tea, which really tasted good."

Liu Bei bent his body, looking calm, but his eyes were filled with anxiety.

With his second brother beheading Zuo Rong in the midst of thousands of troops in Xuzhou and pacifying Xuzhou, he then persuaded Huang Zu to surrender, and unexpectedly captured Jingzhou without bloodshed.

For a time, "Liu Bei's name" resounded throughout the Han Dynasty, and his reputation was so high that it was almost as high as Cao Cao.

With great fame comes naturally a lot of criticism.

Amidst the countless praises, the criticisms against Liu Bei from both the government and the public were also increasing, especially in Yuzhou, where the "name of Liu Bei" was controversial. The most important thing was that some people impeached Liu Bei, accusing him of condoning his wife's family, the Mi clan, in the emergency repair of the river embankment last year, engaging in massive corruption, selling inferior goods as good ones, and driving up prices, etc.

Now, Liu Yao placed Tian Feng under house arrest, and the Emperor himself appeared in Xiang County and summoned him. One can imagine the pressure on Liu Bei.

Liu Bian took another sip, put down the teacup, and said, "It doesn't taste good."

After that, he stood up and left.

Liu Bei held his breath and followed Liu Bian closely.

Huangfu Jian munched on an apple and observed Liu Bei calmly.

This man was known for his benevolence and righteousness. Since last year, he had more victories than defeats and had a good reputation, but had not made many achievements. Since he recovered Jingzhou, he has been highly praised by the government and the public.

This kind of "praise" is obviously abnormal and is deliberately manipulated by someone behind the scenes.

As the second son in charge of the Imperial City, Huangfu Jianchang naturally knew who was deliberately elevating Liu Bei behind the scenes.

What he is curious about now is whether Liu Bei has been building up power in secret?
Was Liu Yao's forced protection of the Mi brothers a favor or an instruction from the city of Luoyang?

To put it bluntly, did the "Yingchuan Party" have any connection with Liu Bei?

Your Majesty can tolerate the 'Yingchuan Party' to dominate the court; however, if... the 'Yingchuan Party' gets involved in military power and has connections with Liu Bei, that would be different.

Liu Bian left the teahouse, strolled slowly on the streets of Xiang County, and bought a lot of local specialties.

Liu Bei followed behind him and wanted to speak several times but forced himself to hold back.

Before coming, Xu Shu repeatedly reminded him, "Do not make excuses or contradict," "Whenever His Majesty asks you for a crime, you must hesitate and acquiesce unless it is treason," and "Don't say anything more about anything involving Yingchuan and Cao Cao."

After a long walk, Liu Bian arrived in front of the posthouse. Looking at the city defense soldiers standing around and patrolling, he couldn't help but put his hands behind his back and said, "Mr. Liu, what do you think Liu Yao is going to do?"

Liu Bei hesitated and said, "I don't know."

Liu Bian glanced at him and said, "I don't know either. Go and call them out so I can ask them."

(End of this chapter)