Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 398 The Emperor's Suffering

'Fifty-fifty.'

"It's not impossible to split it 30-70. At worst, I'll take 30 percent."

"It's wrong to leave me at least a little bit. Not leaving me a single cent is a bit too much."

"The gifts presented to me by Grand Marshal Liu Zhang are my property. Why did you, Cao, take them away and not leave me a single cent?"

Inside the East Pavilion, Emperor Liu Xie sat in the upper seat, his mind filled with what had happened in Concubine Dong's room today. Scenes flashed before his eyes, and he felt more and more humiliated.

It was really too humiliating. The gifts presented to the emperor by the princes should have belonged to the emperor's inner treasury and been distributed by him, the emperor. However, Cao took away all the gifts presented to him by Grand Marshal Liu Zhang without even saying hello, which showed that he did not take the emperor seriously at all.

In the past, during the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, Cao Cao was the first to raise an army of justice. Today, he welcomed the emperor in Luoyang, clearly acting like a loyal minister. However, no one would have thought that this villain was actually a treacherous traitor, and what he did was just a show.

At this moment, the little good impression that Emperor Liu Xie had for Cao Cao was gone. He couldn't help but compare Cao Cao to Wang Mang of the past. At the beginning, Wang Mang also looked like a loyal Han Dynasty man, but who would have thought that Wang Mang would actually make a move to usurp the Han Dynasty. If it weren't for the rise of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, no one would know who the world would belong to.

"Your Majesty." Xun Yu, who served the emperor, entered and left the palace, and was involved in state affairs, and served as the Palace Attendant and Minister of the Chancellery, stepped into the East Pavilion. He had received a message from the eunuch that the emperor wanted to see him, so he hurried over.

As soon as Xun Yu stepped into the East Pavilion, Liu Xie smelled a faint fragrance. He knew that the fragrance came with Xun Yu's figure, because Xun Yu liked to burn incense. Over time, Xun Yu's body was filled with fragrance, and he was known as "When Xun Yu comes to someone's house, the fragrance will linger for three days."

However, as Liu Xie smelled the elegant fragrance, he became more and more irritated. However, as he had always been held hostage by others, he controlled his facial expressions very well and did not reveal anything. He looked indifferent, called Xun Yu to come forward, and at the same time dismissed the attendants on his left and right.

"Xun Qing, please come closer." Liu Xie said.

Xun Yu walked slowly forward and came to the first seat under Liu Xie and sat down. With a faint smile on his face, he bowed and asked: "I wonder why your majesty summoned me? Is there anything I can do for your majesty?"

"Nothing, I am just an old man. As for the state affairs and world affairs, the general (Cao Cao) will take care of them for me. I don't have to worry about the world." Liu Xie said slowly, his words were calm and indifferent: "Today I summoned Xunzi to see you, but I just want to chat with you."

Hearing this, Xun Yu's face darkened. Although Liu Xie, who was at the top of the group, did not contain any tone in his words, his resentment was undoubtedly revealed.

"Your Majesty, a monarch should not entrust state affairs to his subjects. This is not the way of a monarch. As the Son of Heaven, Your Majesty should be familiar with state affairs and personally care for the people." Xun Yu advised and said something righteous.

Emperor Liu Xie looked at Xun Yu who was sincerely advising him. He shook his head and sighed softly, "He is familiar with state affairs, but he is not good at governing. What is the use of learning? It is no different from Zhu Ping's imitation of slaying dragons in Zhili Yi, wasting thousands of gold, but it is useless... The affairs of the world are not in my hands, but in the hands of the general. With the general here, I don't need to govern, and I shouldn't govern."

"Your Majesty, why do you say that? The general is only in charge of temporary affairs, not someone who is trying to usurp the power of the Han Dynasty... When Dong Zhuo was rebellious in the past, it was the general who took the lead in raising an army and joined forces with the princes of Guandong to fight against Dong. This shows how loyal and brave he is." After hearing such heart-piercing words, Xun Yu bowed his head and advised Liu Xie, using past events to illustrate Cao Cao's loyalty.

Liu Xie felt a little better when he heard Xun Yu's words. However, it was not because of Xun Yu's words, but because of Xun Yu's attitude. He felt that Xun Yu was not a close friend of Cao, but a virtuous and loyal minister who was slightly inclined towards the Han Dynasty. Unfortunately, there were few loyal and virtuous people, but many powerful and treacherous ones.

At this point, Liu Xie thought of the past when he was controlled by Dong Zhuo and Li Guo, and then thought of the humiliation of having his property taken away and losing face in front of Dong Guiren today. He simply said, "You don't need to say more. What happened recently is proof of this. But I have a message for the general. If the general is willing to assist me, then assist him. If not, please take it as soon as possible."

After saying this, Liu Xie stood up and went into the back hall.

"Your Majesty!" Xun Yu exclaimed in surprise as he chased after Liu Xie's back. He had never thought that Liu Xie would call him over today and actually say such words. However, he thought about Liu Xie's words carefully and it seemed that there must be a reason for it. Liu Xie was not just making trouble out of nothing.

After thinking for a while, Xun Yu straightened his face with a hint of anger between his brows. He stood up and walked out of the pavilion. Although he was angry in his heart, his steps were still very steady, neither hurried nor slow, just the same as before.

When he reached the gate of the pavilion, he suddenly stopped where he was and asked the eunuch standing at the gate, "Is there anything unusual in the palace recently?"

When the eunuch heard Xun Yu's question, he quickly shook his head and said, "My Lord, there is nothing unusual in the palace recently. Everything is just normal."

"Hmm?" Xun Yu frowned slightly, his eyes gleaming with brilliance as he asked in a different way: "Is there anything unusual happening in or outside the palace?"

The eunuch lowered his head and thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "My Lord, there has been no trouble in the palace or outside the palace. Only yesterday, the envoy Zhang Su from Shu came to see Your Majesty. Besides, the envoy from Shu presented a lot of rare and precious treasures, but they have not been put into the warehouse yet."

"Not entering the inner treasury? Why not entering the inner treasury?" Xun Yu seemed to have grasped the key point and asked another question.

The eunuch smiled and said frankly, "It was General Cao Zilian who was in charge of the imperial guards. He was a cautious man and wanted to carefully check the tributes from Shu, so they were not allowed to enter the warehouse for the time being."

"That is to say, the gifts presented by the envoys from Shu are in the hands of General Cao Zilian." Xun Yu asked in a questioning tone, but he had already determined that the gifts presented by Shu were undoubtedly in the hands of Cao Zilian.

"Yes, the tribute from Shu is now in the hands of General Cao Zilian. But I don't know how long General Cao Zilian will have to check before they can be put into the inner storehouse." The eunuch answered without reservation.

"So that's how it is!" Xun Yu was very clear-headed. He wanted to know why Emperor Liu Xie was so reckless today. It turned out that it was because of Cao Hong, Cao Zilian. As a man of insight, he knew Cao Hong's character very well.

This is what happened, Xun Yu deduced. Yesterday, the Shu envoy Zhang Su came to see the emperor and brought Shu local products as tribute. It was natural and customary for the emperor to accept the products, but Cao Hong, who was in charge of the imperial guards and guarding the palace gates, was too greedy for money and profit. He used the excuse of checking the Shu local products in detail and did not know where to put the Shu local products.

Therefore, the emperor suffered this humiliation and was depressed, so he called him to come and confide in him. During the conversation, he was even more angry and said some inappropriate words.

As for how long Cao Hong would have to investigate the local products of Shu, Xun Yu guessed that there would be no time limit. For a man who loved money as much as Cao Hong, there was no way that he would spit out what he had eaten.

Thinking of this, Xun Yu moved his feet and walked towards the office of General Cao Cao. As Cao Cao's strategist and also the minister of the court, no one dared to stop him along the way. Only when he arrived outside Cao Cao's house did someone stop him and ask him to wait for a moment and wait for a message.

This man was a captain under Cao Cao's command. His surname was Dian and his given name was Wei. He was from Jiwu, Chenliu. He was tall and strong, with extraordinary physical strength. He was braver than ten thousand men, and he had great ambitions and integrity. He was a chivalrous person and a loyal and righteous man.

Because of this, Dian Wei was loved by Cao Cao and was appointed as a captain by Cao Cao. He became Cao Cao's personal guard and often led hundreds of personal soldiers to patrol around Cao Cao's tent to protect Cao Cao's safety.

Xun Yu had not waited outside Cao Cao's office for long when he saw a short, sturdy middle-aged man walk out of the office. This man was Cao Cao. He stepped forward and said, "Wen Ruo is here. Come on, follow me inside and have a drink."

Cao Cao has been in high spirits recently. Welcoming the emperor to Xudu has won him political advantages. He, a mere eunuch, has been able to serve as the general of the Han Dynasty, overseeing the government and making decisions on all matters, no matter how big or small.

In addition, he can use the banner of the emperor to fight against rebellion, and whoever he says is a traitor is a traitor. At the same time, he can use the official positions and salaries of the court to lure the princes of the world, use public resources to do his private affairs, and contribute to his hegemony.

Cao Cao personally came out to greet him, but Xun Yu responded calmly. Xun Yu sighed softly and said, "Lord Cao has done a lot of great things recently."

"Mr. Cao?" Cao Cao heard Xun Yu's address and realized that this was different from the previous "Ming Gong". This meant that Xun Yu was not here to chat with him.

"Wen Ruo?" Cao Cao asked in confusion. He wanted to know what had happened to make his Zifang unhappy.

Xun Yu did not play tricks. He said bluntly, "Zhang Su, the envoy from Shu, came to see the emperor yesterday and presented gifts. However, the gifts were not brought into the inner storehouse. Instead, they were taken away by General Cao Zilian. A foreign vassal paid tribute, but I took it away without authorization. This is beyond the pale. I just don't know whose orders General Cao Zilian received and whose orders he obeyed to make such a rebellious move."

Hearing this, Cao Cao suddenly realized that he had guessed the key point. The tribute from Shu was taken away by Cao Hong and did not enter the inner storehouse. No matter how you look at this matter, Cao Hong, a military commander, would not have the courage to do such a thing. Therefore, Xun Yu put the blame on him for this rebellious act, thinking that he had appointed Cao Hong to do it.

"Wen Ruo." Cao Cao stepped forward and held Xun Yu's hand. He understood the situation and comforted Xun Yu: "This was not my fault. It was Cao Hong who acted on his own initiative. Hmm... maybe there is some misunderstanding. Please wait a moment. I will call Cao Hong to ask him."

After saying that, Cao Cao gave an order with a solemn face, asking Dian Wei to invite Cao Hong. He wanted to teach Cao Hong a lesson. It was really too bold for Dian Wei to act on his own and seize the gifts presented to the emperor by foreign vassal states without hearing orders.

'That's really bold.'

However, based on Cao Cao's understanding of Cao Hong, he thought that Cao Hong was not bold, but was blinded by money. He was so greedy that he took advantage of the emperor and did such an indecent thing, which also caused him to be resented by Xun Yu.

Soon, Cao Hong invited Dian Wei over. When he saw Cao Cao for the first time, Cao Hong showed an honest smile. He stepped forward and said, "Brother, I wonder why you called me here."

"There is no brother here, only the great general of the Han Dynasty." Facing the passionate Cao Hong, Cao Cao responded coldly.

Hearing Cao Cao's cold response, Cao Hong felt a cool breeze blowing across his neck. He shrank his neck and lowered his head slightly, but he glanced at Cao Cao and asked tentatively, "Brother, did I do something wrong?"

Having grown up with Cao Cao, Cao Hong knew Cao Cao's temper. He knew that he must have done something inadvertently and angered Cao Cao, but he looked afraid and cowered. In fact, he was not afraid in his heart. He knew that no matter what stupid things he did, Cao Cao would not blame him too much. This was the brotherhood between the two.

"Zi Lian, let me ask you, why have the tributes from Shu not entered the inner treasury? Where have they been looted for you?" Cao Cao went straight to the point and spoke quickly.

"As for the local products from Shu, I am currently checking them in detail. For now, they are temporarily kept at my home." Cao Hong responded intelligently. He sensed that something was wrong in the atmosphere. Regardless of what his brother Cao Cao said, Xun Yu, the attendant beside Cao Cao, was looking at him with a slightly displeased expression.

Cao Cao gestured to Xun Yu beside him and said, "Wenruo, it was all a misunderstanding. Zilian was just too serious in his work, so he was somewhat less cautious. His original intention was good, but there were some problems in the execution. Please don't blame him." His words were intended to exonerate his cousin Cao Hong.

Listening to Cao Cao and Cao Hong singing the same tune, Xun Yu had nothing to say, although Cao Hong's reasons were really ridiculous, and Cao Hong had actually moved all the local properties in Shu to his home, which was obviously a move to take them for himself.

At this point, Xun Yu only gave one piece of advice: "General Zi Lian, it is better to put the tributes from foreign vassal states into the inner treasury as soon as possible. If they are kept in your home, outsiders will think that you have intentionally seized the emperor's property, and rumors will spread, which will be detrimental to your reputation."

"Put it into the inner treasury? This..." Cao Hong was in a dilemma. He was reluctant to give up the rare treasures presented by Shu. Not to mention the extremely high value of Shu's products, some of them were priceless in the market. If they were put into the inner treasury for no reason, wouldn't such a good treasure be lost in the dust? These rare treasures were worthy of appreciation by only him.

"Hmm?" Cao Cao frowned and issued a questioning tone with a dignified look.

"I will keep in mind what Mr. Xun said. Today I will put the products from Shu into the inner treasury." Cao Hong hurriedly bowed and said respectfully to Xun Yu, as if he had heard Xun Yu's valuable advice and kept it in mind.

(End of this chapter)