Han family achievements

Chapter 568 Ni Heng
Autumn of the fourth year of Jian'an.

Liu Bian appeared in Maoyuan, accompanied by Kong Rong, Chen Lin and others, and was inspecting the examination room.

Chen Lin smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there has been no war in the past three years, and the people are stable. The number of people who signed up for the imperial examination this year has exceeded 5,000. I think there will be more and more in the future. It is only a matter of time before the prosperity during the Emperor Cheng's time is restored."

Kong Rong followed up with a smile and said, "Your Majesty, all kinds of talented people from the Han Dynasty have entered Luoyang. The Talent Recruitment Hall is overcrowded. There is already a scramble to fill vacancies at all levels of the court. The court is short of talents."

Liu Bian paced back and forth, looking at the cleaned examination halls one by one, and said, "You two have recommended quite a few people recently, and I have personally examined some of them. They have real talents and knowledge. You have good vision."

Kong Rong's fat face trembled when he heard this, and he smiled more and said, "Your Majesty, in fact, there is another talented person whom I would like to recommend to Your Majesty. However, according to the court rules, he has never been an official before, and he needs to pass a major examination before he can be recommended."

Liu Bian became interested and asked, "Who is it? Tell me, maybe I have heard of him."

Kong Rong immediately said, "Your Majesty, this man's name is Ni Heng, courtesy name Zhengping, and he is from Pingyuan. He is proficient in poetry and songs, and has unparalleled talent, a virtuous character, and outstanding talent."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows again and again. He was very familiar with this person. Not only was he familiar to later generations, but he had also heard of him from time to time in his own time.

Liu Bian turned around and looked at Kong Rong, saying, "I heard that this man is arrogant and proud, and he doesn't care about anyone. He sneered at the imperial court's call and threw the official documents into the toilet."

Kong Rong said sternly: "Your Majesty, all great talents must have temperament. With a little polish, he will one day become the backbone of our Han Dynasty!"

This was not the first time someone recommended Ni Heng to Liu Bian.

Liu Bian continued to pace after pondering for a while, and said, "Mr. Chen, has Ni Heng applied for the imperial examination this year?"

Chen Lin had a blank expression on his face and said calmly, "Your Majesty, no, I sent someone to invite him to participate, but he refused."

Liu Bian hummed and said, "Yuan Shao is arguing with Shi Xie in Nanhai County. Yangzhou is already exhausted, and Yuan Shao has exhausted all the resources. The common people and nobles are all eager for the royal army to come and save them from the water and fire. The officials in the court have a lot of discussions. Some hope that the court will send troops, while others are against it. What do you think?"

Seeing that Liu Bian skipped the topic of Ni Heng, Kong Rong sighed inwardly and said with all his strength: "Your Majesty, I think the officials of the Secretariat are right. The court should hold back and continue to promote the 'New Deal'. After another year or two, the court will be able to deal with it calmly. By then, Yuan Shao, Shi Xie and others will be exhausted. It will be the right time to pacify the two states!"

Liu Bian did not comment and asked, "Mr. Chen's family?"

Chen Lin was trying to figure out Liu Bian's intention, so he pretended to think and said, "Your Majesty, there are advantages to sending troops now, but there are also disadvantages to sending troops in two years. I will defer to your wise decision."

"Then don't move."

Liu Bian spoke in a clear and crisp voice, saying: "Concentrate your energy and continue to promote the 'New Deal'. In two years, the 'New Deal' will be initially stable and on the right track. With money and food, I can take over Yizhou in one go, not to mention Yuan Shao and Shi Xie!"

Kong Rong was unaware of all this. He had always been against war. What good was there in years of war and chaos in the world?

Chen Lin, on the other hand, understood what was going on and bowed, saying, "I understand."

He was just a mouthpiece, and these words were to be passed on to the three people in the Shangshutai through him.

Liu Bian nodded, strolled around, and inspected Maoyuan from top to bottom, quite attentively.

"Let me ask you, what do you think of the current Prime Minister, Xun Wenruo?"

Liu Bian and others had just walked out of the gate of Maoyuan, and saw a group of young people gathered by the river not far away, talking passionately and loudly.

Liu Bian looked up, stretched out his hand to gesture to Dian Wei, and walked over calmly.

Kong Rong and Chen Qun followed, while the plainclothes guards dispersed and quietly protected them.

"Xun Wenruo, come and offer condolences and ask about the patient's illness!"

A loud shout was heard, accompanied by the sound of gulping down wine.

Liu Bian was standing not far away. Hearing this, he raised his eyebrows and laughed, "Are you making fun of the Prime Minister for being so gloomy all day long?"

Xun Yu was a mature young man with long and thin facial features. He was usually dignified and indifferent, giving people an unpleasant feeling.

Kong Rong kept a straight face and said nothing. Chen Lin frowned and said, "Your Majesty, it is not a good thing for a student to talk about the Prime Minister so recklessly."

If one can criticize the prime minister without restraint, then one can also criticize the government without restraint.

Just as Liu Bian was about to speak, someone shouted, "How is Xun Gongda?"

You Pushe, Xun You.

"He can be used to guard the grave!" He blurted out with great passion.

Liu Bian put his hands behind his back and said, "Are you mocking You Pushe for being so rigid and inflexible?"

Kong Rong and Chen Lin stopped talking.

They had already recognized who was making the bold statement.

"How is Grand Marshal Cao Gong?"

Ni Heng was half lying on the ground, drinking wine and baring his breasts. He laughed and said, "I am a descendant of a eunuch, without any roots or ancestors, with a hideous face and a vicious temperament. I am really an empty-bellied person!"

Liu Bian also reacted at this time, looked at Kong Rong and said: "This is Ni Heng, right? What does he mean by 'an empty-stomach man'?"

Kong Rong's face turned pale, and he lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, it is Ni Heng. 'An empty-stomach man' means someone without a heart or liver."

He really wanted to explain a few words for Ni Heng, but his arrogant words were heard by the Emperor, so how could he defend himself?

Liu Bian turned around and looked at the unruly Ni Heng, and said to himself: "He has no heart, that means he has no character. From the time his ancestors scolded him until now, this Ni Heng is still not afraid of death."

"Zhong Yao can be used to beat drums and sound gongs, Huangfu Jianshou can be used to herd cattle and horses, Chen Gong can be used to recruit strong men and read out military tactics, Guan Yu can be used to deliver letters and edicts, Zhang Liao can be used to sharpen knives and forge swords... The rest are all clothes hangers, rice bags, wine barrels, and meat bags!"

Ni Heng did not pause, and spoke loudly in the middle of the group, holding up a wine jug.

Everyone was shocked by his words and started talking among themselves.

With just a few words, he scolded all the officials in the court, and almost no one escaped!

Liu Bian opened his eyes wide, his face showing disbelief, and said with emotion: "I knew he was arrogant, but I didn't expect him to be so arrogant. Seeing is believing!"

Chen Lin shook his head secretly. In Ni Heng's mouth, he was 'Chen Lin can be used to deliver letters', meaning a letter delivery boy. This evaluation was considered good among everyone.

Kong Rong's face was stiff and he didn't say a word.

Ni Heng did not comment on him, but he could vaguely feel that perhaps, even he was not a "good thing" in Ni Heng's heart.

Liu Bian didn't listen any more and turned back to the palace.

Such an arrogant person is suitable to be a knight-errant or a celebrity among the people, but not suitable to be an official in the court.

Once he entered the court, he harmed the common people and betrayed his colleagues, and was of no benefit at all.

Kong Rong followed Liu Bian away, looked back at Ni Heng who was still talking, and gnashed his teeth in hatred.

He knew very well that Ni Heng's wild words had doomed him to have no chance of a career in officialdom!
At this time, Cao Cao, whose ancestors were cursed by others, was busy formulating a conquest plan of "suppressing Yuan and destroying Shi". He had to consider carefully everything from logistics and granaries, to weapons, armor and arrows, to generals and so on, in order to make sure everything was in place.

Sima Lang stood in front of the sand table, holding a flag, and said, "Grand Sima, do you really want Liu Xuande to lead the troops?"

It has been nearly two years since Liu Bei was stripped of his official position, and the government and the public have almost forgotten about such a person.

(End of this chapter)