Han family achievements

Chapter 562: People are not as good as before
Yuan Shao was making intensive preparations to personally lead an expedition to Jiaozhi for a decisive battle with Shi Xie, while Liu Bian had already appeared in Yingchuan County.

Lu Yu, Yang Xiu, and Chen Qun were walking on the street with Liu Bian.

Lu Yu stood beside Liu Bian, his expression full of worry. He said, "Your Majesty, Yingchuan County has been plundered by bandits for many years. The nobles have fled, and the common people have either followed the bandits, died in the war, or become refugees... Since I took office as the governor of Yingchuan, I have been doing my best to keep the people safe. After nearly a year of investigation, I found that the population of Yingchuan County may be less than 500,000."

Liu Bian nodded slightly but said nothing.

Yingchuan County had been in chaos since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, or even earlier, and it had hardly ever been peaceful since then. In total, it had been at peace for less than two years.

But such a large county, once a place with a flourishing culture, is now in ruins, with less than 500,000 people, which is enough to show the horror of war.

Chen Qun, who was standing aside, quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Prime Minister and Xun Pushe and others are preparing to move their people back to their ancestral land. Not only them, but many nobles and common people who have fled are gradually returning. I think it won't be long before Yingchuan County can return to its former glory."

Liu Bian did not comment on this. To restore the population, peace was needed, which could not be brought from anywhere else.

Yang Xiu said nothing. He had always looked down on Chen Qun, and after hearing his words, he found them even more ridiculous.

The Xun family took refuge in Jizhou and moved back from Jizhou. The population of Yingchuan increased, but what about Jizhou?

There is no pattern at all!

Yang Xiu secretly complained and was about to respond to Liu Bian when Lu Yu spoke again, saying, "Your Majesty, at present, the big families in the county are also short of servants and tenants, and many acres of land are abandoned. We are discussing with the big families, pooling our wisdom and strength, and concentrating our efforts to reclaim some wasteland and resettle the refugees. Most of the noble families agreed, and promised to maintain the rent at thirty percent, provide grain seeds and farming tools for free... As for the oxen, we are considering letting the government raise them, and then renting them to ten to thirty households, free of charge for the first three years, and then collecting rent..."

Liu Bian paced and listened to Lu Yu's words. He smiled with deep satisfaction and said, "I am very happy that you can do things in a down-to-earth manner. Your practices are very good. You should find a feasible method as soon as possible, and then report it to the Shangshutai and promote it as soon as possible. After years of war, the people need stability. What the court should do is to create this environment for the people."

As he spoke, he looked back at Chen Qun and Yang Xiu, smiling even more, and said, "You are able to unite and not fight, which is very good. You should focus on pacifying the people. Climbing up the high and stepping on the low, forming cliques for personal gain, excluding dissidents, attacking each other, doing bad things with malicious intent... I did not see these bad behaviors in Yingchuan."

As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Yu said nothing, but Yang Xiu and Chen Qun bowed unconsciously, their faces tense.

Without struggle, that would be impossible.

One of them represented the 'Yingchuan Party' and the other represented the 'Yang Party'. It was inevitable that they would fight overtly or covertly, but they were both very restrained and did not cause any trouble or loss of face.

It can be said that the current situation in Yingchuan is extremely similar to that of the imperial court. The 'Yingchuan Party' and the 'Yang Party' maintain a situation of 'fighting but not breaking'. On the surface, everyone is harmonious, and they are very cautious in disputes over various matters, accommodating and compromising with each other.

This was also the result of Liu Bian's repeated warnings.

Liu Bian walked and came to a teahouse. He sat down outside the teahouse and called the three people, saying, "You all sit down. I have something to ask you."

Lu Yu, Yang Xiu, and Chen Qun all had slightly changed expressions, responded cautiously, and sat down at the small table.

Huangfu Jian stepped forward and negotiated with the waiter who came out to greet them, so that Liu Bian and the other three were not disturbed.

"Yanzhou has once again brought up the so-called 'Cao Cao massacred three cities' incident,"

Liu Bian went straight to the point and said, "Some say Cao Hong took the opportunity to kill common people and seize their land. Some also say he had connections with some rebels. Now the case has been brought to the Criminal Department. The Criminal Department said they have no right to investigate Cao Hong and that it should be handed over to the Censorate. The Censorate evaded the question by saying that since it involves the Grand Marshal, they should follow the emperor's orders. Without an emperor's order, they have no right to investigate. What do you think?"

Lu Yu, Yang Xiu and Chen Qun bowed their heads, as if they had not heard anything, and no one spoke a word.

Huangfu Jian stood beside Liu Bian for a long time, taking in the expressions of the three people. He took out an apple from his arms and began to eat it silently.

Lu Yu was the son of Lu Zhi. For a period of time before his death, Lu Zhi made great efforts to cultivate Cao Cao and almost told everyone in the world that he wanted to train Cao Cao to be his successor.

After Lu Zhi passed away, Lu Yu was still young, and Cao Cao presided over Lu Zhi's funeral as his "adopted son", so he had a close relationship with the Lu family.

Lu Yu regarded Cao Cao as his 'brother', and the two became very close over the years.

Yang Xiu, as Yang Biao's only son and the default leader of the next generation of the "Yang Party", had a complicated attitude towards Cao Cao. He knew that Cao Cao was "evil" to the Han Dynasty, but he also felt that he was an important helper to check and balance the "Yingchuan Party", so his attitude was ambiguous.

As a member of the "Yingchuan Party", Chen Qun was influenced by what he saw and heard and positioned Cao Cao as a "big thief of the country". Like many bigwigs of the "Yingchuan Party", he hoped to eliminate him as soon as possible.

But because he had to consider Liu Bian, he could only hide these complicated emotions deep in his heart and dare not bring them to the table.

Therefore, the three of them fell silent at the same time.

At this time, the waiter brought the tea. Huangfu Jianchang quickly took the plate while holding the apple in his mouth, put the teacups one by one, handed the plate to the waiter, and waved his hand.

As the waiter left, Liu Bian glanced at the turbid tea and had no desire to drink it. He smiled at the three people and said, "It's okay to speak frankly."

Chen Qun and Yang Xiu raised their heads quietly and their eyes fell on Lu Yu.

Everyone in the world knows that Lu Yu is the current emperor's confidant. After Lu Zhi passed away, he has been kept by his side and raised in the palace.

Lu Yu received the gazes from his two arms, slowly raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, I think that Cao Hong is Cao Hong and the Grand Marshal is the Grand Marshal, and they should not be confused."

Liu Bian asked, "You mean, we should just investigate Cao Hong and stop there?"

Lu Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, he lowered his head slightly, and said, "Yes."

Liu Bian looked thoughtful and said, "It is a solution, but can it be stopped?"

Lu Yu, Chen Qun and Yang Xiu stopped talking and went into their own thoughts.

Cao Hong is Cao Cao's cousin. He has followed Cao Cao in battles for many years and has made countless contributions.

With this kind of relationship, if Cao Hong is investigated, will Cao Cao not be implicated? Besides, will the forces behind him allow it to stop at Cao Hong?
Once more people and more things are implicated, even if Cao Cao himself is clean, he will be blamed for "laxity in governing his subordinates" and will no longer be able to sit on the position of Grand Marshal.

"Changwen, tell me about it." Liu Bian seemed to be talking to himself and looked at Yang Xiudao.

When Chen Qun heard Liu Bian calling his name, he was startled and said quickly, "Your Majesty, I heard that Cao Hong has confessed his guilt. We just need to...close the case."

At the end, Yang Xiu's voice became softer.

It's not because of his identity as a member of the Yingchuan Party, but even if Cao Hong pleaded guilty, the government and the public would not give up easily.

This time Cao Hong's "incident" was accidental, but the government and the public would not let this accident go. There were many people in the government and the public who were hostile to Cao Cao, especially Cao Cao had "taken the prince's troops into Luoyang", which intensified the "hostility" of the government and the public towards Cao Cao.

"Dezu." Liu Bian smiled to Chen Qun.

Yang Xiu was relatively calm. Whether Cao Cao stayed or left had no impact on him. His old mentor did not give any instructions. He thought carefully and said, "Your Majesty, since the generals under the command of the Grand Marshal committed the crime, perhaps we should hand him over to the Grand Marshal to deal with him. This will stop the gossip."

Liu Bian did not comment. He put the folding fan in his hand on the table, picked up the turbid tea on the table and shook it gently.

Lu Yu, Yang Xiu and Chen Qun basically represented the "Emperor Party", "Yingchuan Party" and "Yang Party" in Luoyang City, that is, the basic attitudes of the government and the public.

The three of them were ambiguous, and there was obviously no unified attitude in Luoyang City.

"Second Master?" Liu Bian suddenly said indifferently. Huangfu Jian, who was chewing an apple, took a long swallow, thinking about Cao Hong's complicated identity, and said nonchalantly: "Your Majesty, it's actually very simple. Let the three judicial officials deal with it, give the Grand Marshal a warning, and it will slowly pass."

Lu Yu remained expressionless and shook his head inwardly.

Your Majesty has forcibly protected Cao Cao too many times, which has reached the limit acceptable to the court and the people. If it happens again, the court and the people will no longer buy it, and it will cause a violent backlash.

At that time, not only would the matter not be resolved, but it would also add fuel to the fire, causing a greater backlash and dragging Cao Cao into it.

Liu Bian turned to look at Huangfu Jianchang and said, "None of your words are useful. Give me an apple."

Huangfu Jian blinked and looked at the half-eaten apple in his hand, and said, "Your Majesty, this is all that's left."

Liu Bian waved his hand unhappily and said to Chen Qun, "What does the Shangshutai have to say?"

Chen Qun immediately said, "I don't know."

Liu Bian put down his teacup, looked at Yang Xiu, and said, "You don't know either?"

Chen Qun was from the "Yingchuan Party" and Yang Xiu was from the "Yang Party", so the question naturally concerned Wang Lang's attitude.

"I don't know." Yang Xiu said stiffly. It's not that he didn't know, but he couldn't say it.

Liu Bian looked up at the sun above his head, the tea in his hand that he couldn't drink, the fan on the table that he couldn't fan himself with, his brows were a little irritated, and he said, "This damn weather is so hot that it's killing me. Second Master, let's go somewhere cooler to escape the heat."

Lu Yu had followed Liu Bian for many years and knew that this was his way of expressing his emotions. He was thinking about how to relieve Liu Bian's worries and resolve the matter properly.

Huangfu Jianchang didn't take it seriously and said, "Your Majesty, why don't we go to Jizhou? It is said that the salt fields there are very beautiful now."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, then looked into the distance.

Huangfu Jian was a talkative person, but he would not suddenly mention the Jizhou Salt Field in front of Liu Bian for no reason.

The corners of Lu Yu's mouth twitched, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Chen Qun and Yang Xiu had not noticed it yet. They lowered their heads, thinking that the Emperor would not really hide and not return to Luoyang.

Lu Yu looked at Liu Bian who was in deep thought and felt very panicked.

The Jizhou Salt Field involved too many things and was too big. As far as he knew, Cao Cao and his advisers and generals were more or less involved. Once the lid was lifted, it would be much more serious than Cao Hong's case.

Liu Bian hesitated for a while and asked, "Is Tian Feng still in Pengcheng?"

Huangfu Jian looked up at the sky and said, "According to the time, he is still here. Han Bin rushed over and is sorting out the canal transportation. He probably won't be able to get away for a while."

Liu Bian was thinking about the right person to handle this matter, someone who must be either convincing enough or fearless.

Liu Bian thought about it carefully inside and outside the court, but he still couldn't find a suitable one.

After looking at the three people in front of him again, Liu Bian stood up and said, "Let's go back to Beijing first."

Lu Yu could see that Liu Bian hadn't figured out how to deal with him, so he quickly followed and whispered, "Your Majesty."

Liu Bian did not stop walking, but Huangfu Jian suddenly quickened his pace and stood in front of Yang Xiu and Chen Qun.

The two men paused, understood, and stopped to watch the backs of Lu Yu and Liu Bian. They looked at each other secretly, each with different expressions, and no one knew what they were thinking.

After pulling away for a while, Lu Yu finally let go a little and said, "Your Majesty, I think it's best to close this case as an ordinary criminal case."

Liu Bian fanned his chest with a folding fan, feeling the sweat on his head, and exhaled a breath of turbid air, saying: "I know this, but they may not be willing. For Cao Cao, I have offended the Prime Minister and the government. If it happens again, I and the Shangshutai will be alienated."

Lu Yu knew Liu Bian's difficulty, so he bowed and whispered, "Your Majesty, let the Criminal Department handle it."

Liu Bian turned around and looked at him, saying, "Xu You? Can he stop?"

Lu Yu said: "I think Minister Xu can withstand the pressure."

Liu Bian stopped and looked at Lu Yu, saying, "Xu You is obedient. I know it's not difficult to force him to close the case. Does he have the ability to stop the government and the public from taking advantage of the situation?"

The difficulty of this matter lies in the fact that the government and the public will not let Cao Hong and Cao Cao off easily, and will definitely try every possible way and use all means to escalate the situation.

When Xu You closed the case, other things came up. Not only could he not close the case, but he had to drag the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court into it.

If something like this really happened, the situation would be really difficult to handle.

Lu Yu looked at Liu Bian, lowered his head slightly, and said pointedly: "Your Majesty, among the court and the public, the one who knows the most about the Cao Hong case is Xu Shangshu of the Criminal Department. He is the only one who can successfully close the case."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, he had not thought of this.

Xu You had targeted Cao Cao once before and investigated all of Cao Cao's background. What he revealed shocked countless people.

Liu Bian figured it out and couldn't help laughing. He patted Lu Yu on the shoulder and said, "After two years of training, I will transfer you back to the capital."

Lu Yu bowed and said, "No matter where I am, I am willing to share your worries."

Liu Bian looked at him, nodded slightly, and said, "They say that clothes are not as good as new and people are not as good as old. It is true. Come on, walk with me for a while, and tell me what you didn't say in your letter."

"Yes." Lu Yu responded, and stayed beside Liu Bian, talking about the big and small things since coming to Yingchuan County.

A carriage was following not far away. Huangfu Jian called out to Chen Qun and Yang Xiu, then quickly caught up.

Three days later, Shangshutai.

Xun Yu summoned the officials from the three judicial departments in the capital, as well as the Minister of Personnel Wang Lang, to discuss the matter.

After a long while, Xun Yu closed the document in his hand and said, "Everything will be done as planned. Now let's talk about the Cao Hong incident. It has been delayed for too long. What does the Ministry of Personnel say?"

Wang Lang remained calm, as if he had nothing to do with the matter, and said, "The Ministry of Personnel has no objection. Both the Three Judicial Departments and the Grand Marshal's Office have the right to deal with it. It all depends on the Prime Minister's decision."

Xun Yu turned to Xu You and asked, "Does the Criminal Department still think that the three courts should hold a joint trial?"

The three-court trial and the criminal investigation have different standards and target different people.

Xu You naturally didn't want to take on this hot potato. If Cao Hong could have moved to Cao Cao, Cao Cao would have fallen hundreds of times.

(End of this chapter)