Lord Yuan

Chapter 109 Liu Hong’s change, three people sitting alone
"Your Majesty, Yuan Pushe has been detained in the Huangmen North Temple Prison. I would like to obey your Majesty's orders." Cao Jie bent down and said with a smile on his face.

"When he hears my name and repent sincerely, then I will find an opportunity to release him." Liu Hong looked straight at the respectful Cao Jie in front of him, and suddenly asked lightly: "I seem to have heard that Chang Shi has a lot of money outside. , even worse than the imperial palace."

Liu Hong didn't say much, just looked at Cao Jie quietly.

The air was silent and silent.

Cao Jie seemed not to have expected that the man in front of him, who was clearly only thirteen or fourteen years old, would have the magnanimity of an adult emperor. His eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts were no less impressive than those of his predecessor, Liu Zhi, at the same time. .

What made him even more indignant was that what Liu Hong said was true. Cao Jie had accumulated enough talents to fill the entire treasury with surplus. However, he did all this under the eyes of the emperor, and had never done so before. Make mistakes.

Now that the emperor suddenly asked a question, it was obvious.

Someone tipped off the emperor. Although Liu Hong didn't seem to have much mood swings, Cao Jie knew very well the temper of the little emperor in front of him. If he didn't move, he would be shocked.

Since he was welcomed from Hejian Kingdom, except for the childishness he had when he first arrived in Luoyang, he spent the rest of the time either watching the maids dance or locking himself in a small dark room.

Cao Jie knew what was inside.

He originally thought that the little emperor like this was just for fun, or just for fun, because of the nature of a child.

As a result, he did not expect that Liu Hong seemed to be immersed in it. Even the beautiful women he had recently drafted into the palace from folk drafts were all thrown aside by Liu Hong indifferently. Most of the time, Liu Hong would choose to enter the eunuch. It is a small house that is absolutely taboo.

There is no doubt that at present, it seems that the little emperor in front of him has gradually begun to change like the ancient emperor, and his movements are like Liu Zhi's life.

Liu Hong seemed to be gradually getting out of his control.

This unrealistic idea suddenly appeared in Cao Jie's mind.

Liu Hong is only thirteen or fourteen years old. What can a child of this age do? Even if he is given all the experience of the emperors of the Han Dynasty, he cannot become a sage or wise king.

Not to mention that Liu Hong didn't look like a saint at all.

Cao Jie suppressed the throbbing in his heart, raised his head slightly and glanced at Liu Hong's expression from the corner of his eyes, but there was no change.

Although he didn't know who tipped him off, it was obvious that the person didn't seem to be dealing with him very well. At the same time, he couldn't trip himself up on his own, so he wanted to use Liu Hong's hand.

This is to underestimate Cao Jie.

If such a trivial matter could make Cao Jie so upset, then he really looked down on this Zhongchangshi who almost controlled the entire palace.

He just smiled slightly, with the black spots on his face dancing, and his eyebrows narrowed slightly: "I think His Majesty was deceived. I have always been loyal to Your Majesty, and I have never done anything beyond it."

Young Liu Hong was silent for a while, but his eyes were fixed on Cao Jie, his gaze seemed to penetrate everything.

"I am very pleased to be the loyal servant of the Zhongchang. Since this big man needs you as an official in the inner palace, he will naturally also need ministers of the common people outside. If you really don't do this, I will not be able to serve you."

It was obvious that Liu Hong was not in a good mood. He kept fixating his eyes on Cao Jie, hoping that he would take the initiative to come out.

He is not greedy for money and lustful, but he also cannot tolerate his subordinates having evil intentions and swallowing up the property that belongs to him.

Everything about this big man belongs to him, but it seems difficult to take it all back at the moment.

Perhaps it was the displeasure revealed in Liu Hong's words, or maybe Cao Jie felt it.

Cao Jie, who realized it later, had a trace of reluctance in his eyes, and then he made up his mind and said: "Your Majesty is blessed with great blessings and majesty. I am filled with emotions. I have some little wealth now, and I am willing to dedicate all of it to your Majesty."

Liu Hong nodded with satisfaction. Such an action was an act of loyalty to the emperor. What he needed was not verbal words. This kind of priceless narrative was as plain as Li Shu's daily meals.

For him, Cao Jie's statement showed that he was indeed a loyal minister. As for where his income came from, it was none of his business as an emperor.

So far, everyone is happy.

Cao Jie once again gained the emperor's trust.

As an emperor, Liu Hong not only gained practical benefits, but also took care of the emotions of his ministers.

perfect.

I have to say that the methods left by our ancestors really work.

Liu Hong thought this way and planned to leave Cao Jie behind and continue to enter the small dark room to further his studies.

Seeing this, Cao Jie hurriedly spoke out. He was not here to be a boy who delivers money.

"Your Majesty, Yuan Pushe has now committed suicide and entered Beisi Prison. However, the scholars he represents are extremely dissatisfied with this. They talked at gatherings such as Luoyang Restaurant, and their words and deeds showed their dissatisfaction with Your Majesty. Although I have good intentions, If you block it, you really have no authority.”

Liu Hong, who was prevented from studying hard, was obviously very dissatisfied with his childish face. He frowned and asked calmly: "Is it really done by a scholar?"

Seeing Liu Hong's interest, Cao Jie immediately stepped forward and took out the list recorded in his arms, "Your Majesty, these are only eleven of them, but their number has reached hundreds. Most of them spoke in anger at Yuan Shao. Such people Failure to capture them all would be detrimental to His Majesty’s majesty.”

Liu Hong glanced at the list above. Even the official positions and birthplaces corresponding to the names were listed, and he already had a plan in mind.

He looked into Cao Jie's eyes, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Then what should I do according to what Chang Shi said?"

"Of course, His Majesty issued an order to arrest all these illegal people who ignored His Majesty's power. They gathered in large numbers. Without organization, it would be difficult to achieve such unity. They would be handed over to the Tingwei or the Luoyang thief Cao for interrogation. Can identify the person behind it.”

"Once the mastermind is captured, the rest will naturally disperse. Your Majesty's power will not be diminished, and all your subjects will be happy." Cao Jie said softly and respectfully, holding his hands in hand.

Liu Hong thought for a while.

He seemed to understand what these people were thinking.

Eunuchs, scholars, relatives and nobles.

They all seem to want to destroy each other and even their family background in order to achieve a situation where one family is the only one.

At present, it seems that Cao Jie played a big role in it. In his words and deeds, he always reminded himself vaguely that the scholars had different intentions and were not loyal to the emperor like other eunuchs, so they should not be trusted easily.

But now, Liu Hong has no real power and is a minor. If nothing happens, it seems far away that he can fully grasp the imperial power that belongs to him. Even the Queen Mother can interfere in his decisions from time to time, let alone Said that there was still Cao Jie standing in front of him who seemed to be unwilling to change his mind.

These forces are mixed together, and the core area is Liu Hong, who is deep in the palace.

What they rely on is that they are still underage and have no power to govern themselves, so they can seek as much benefit as possible for their own little calculations during this period.

These interests themselves belong to him, the emperor of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Hong looked at Cao Jie in front of him, and for the first time he had urgent hope for the imperial power in his heart, and wanted to firmly grasp it in his hands.

He shook his head noncommittally.

As for Cao Jie's single-minded intention to kill all the scholars as soon as possible, Liu Hong, who had some understanding, did not want to act so fast. At least, he had to have some rights to reverse the situation before he could do anything without any scruples. Doing this may seem like a recipe for disaster.

It is not what the eunuchs want to see if the scholars become big, and it is not what Liu Hong wants to see if the eunuchs become big.From the current point of view, it seems that it is just right to check and balance each other.

"What Zhongchangshi said is true, but then there are many things involved, and one pull affects the whole body. If they are all arrested, who in the world will be able to govern for me?"

Cao Jie hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is worried about what I have already thought about. If these extraordinary people, the madmen who despise the Tian family, are not brought to justice as soon as possible, I fear that they will harm the Han Dynasty's foundation even more."

"As the saying goes, long-term pain is worse than short-term pain. Clean and neat is the way to rebuild a great man."

Liu Hong took a look at Cao Jie's expression of concern for his emperor and his country. He had to say that Cao Jie had a good grasp of human nature, and he always showed signs of putting himself in Liu Hong's shoes and planning for Liu Hong in every word and every line he made.

But Liu Hong had other plans in mind. He narrowed his eyes and said: "This matter is the foundation of the country and cannot be decided by the regular servants. The Taifu is my humerus now and is also responsible for opening the mansion. It needs to be discussed by the Taifu."

This was the first time he chose to reject Cao Jie's request head-on. In the past, whenever Cao Jie had any ideas, he would issue an edict without thinking and order him to act in accordance with the edict.

Now, he wants to live for himself once more, and doesn't want to continue to be a puppet on strings that won't grow up.

As if he didn't expect Liu Hong to reject his request, Cao Jie stood there in a daze.

It wasn't until Liu Hong spoke in front of him that he finally woke up.

Cao Jie looked at the emperor in front of him with a complicated face, who seemed to have begun to undergo a qualitative change. For the first time, he felt as if he did not recognize the King of Hejian whom he single-handedly supported.

"What your Majesty said is true, but I am ignorant and simple. I hope your Majesty will punish my sins." Cao Jie lowered his voice, and his words and deeds were all in a humble and pleading manner.

Liu Hong waved his hand and said nonchalantly: "Servant Zhongchang is not guilty. It is too late to reward you for today's actions. There is no way to say you are guilty. I am a little tired."

Cao Jie sighed softly: "Your Majesty has worked hard for the country, but you have to take care of your health, so I will leave first."

Liu Hong stopped talking and walked back as if no one else was around.

Cao Jie lowered his head and walked slowly out of the palace door. Before leaving, he turned his head as if unintentionally and saw Liu Hong once again entering the side hall that no one had ever been to.

He understood that Liu Hong was no longer the puppet who obeyed his words and acted like an arm.

Now he seems to have a trace of the dignity he had when he was truly an emperor.

"In this case, I should change my strategy and seek wealth in danger. That plan should be implemented as soon as possible." Cao Jie said secretly.

Grand Tutor Chen Fan knew nothing about Liu Hong's changes. He was staying up late to summon several officials who had sufficient say in the court.

Zhang Wen, the captain of the Sili school, Xiao Yuan, the censor, and Yin Xun, the minister.

The three of them sat aside, and Grand Tutor Chen Fan took the upper seat.

Chen Fan was the first to speak: "Today, Cao Jie is a great eunuch. He does not want to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. Instead, he gradually acts like Hou Lan and other eunuchs in the past. In his words and deeds, he despises me and other officials, and he becomes more powerful and arrogant."

"I am an old friend and my student is very talented and knowledgeable. He treats everyone and everything with a perfect attitude. He was promoted to a servant at the beginning."

Chen Fan paused for a moment and then continued: "His name is Yuan Shao. A few days ago, he did not retreat as a regular servant of Cao Jiezhong at the Shangshu Terrace. Instead, he faced difficulties and went straight up, in order to make him come back in vain. The Shangshu ordered This solves the problem.”

After he glanced at Yin Xun, he then looked at the two people next to him. Seeing that they both had angry expressions on their faces, he continued: "But Cao Jie has a grudge. He did not use official duties as an excuse to deceive His Majesty." , my Majesty obtained His Majesty's order through clever words, and went to Shangshutai to arrest Yuan Shao and send him to Huangmen North Temple Prison."

"I invite you all to come here today to discuss how to save Yuan Shao."

Yin Xun was the first to speak: "Cao Jie dares to arrest Yuan Shao today, and will dare to slander in front of His Majesty the next day. Even we may be afraid of him and set up a conspiracy. Whatever the master plans, Xun will go forward together." "

Yin Xun's words were full of dissatisfaction with the eunuch Cao Jie.

After all, Yuan Shao could be hated by Cao Jie because a large part of him was actually taking the blame for him. If not, maybe he was the one who was arrested and imprisoned. He naturally hopes to save Yuan Shao from prison as soon as possible.

At the same time, his hostility towards eunuchs became even more intense.

Zhang Wen, the captain of Sili School, was recommended by Cao Cao's grandfather Cao Teng in the past. He owes his current position to Cao Teng.

However, he always maintained a silent attitude towards the eunuchs. I neither got close to the eunuchs or relied on him, nor did I do many things that the eunuchs hated. My main focus was to protect myself wisely and keep a low profile.

In fact, he also understood that although Cao Teng was a eunuch, he was completely different from those regular servants such as Hou Lan who brought trouble to the court. His words and deeds were all for the country and the king, and the people he recommended were all wise people.

But Zhang Wen could not completely fall to the scholar class like this. Just like Cao Cao was born not to be welcomed by the scholars, Zhang Wen's reputation was actually not very good among the scholar class. If he had not always maintained a close relationship with the eunuchs, Due to the distance, Chen Fan would not invite him to today's meeting.

"Taifu cares about the country and the people. Wen deeply admires him. But he doesn't know who Yuan Shao, an old friend and student of Taifu, can be treated like this."

As a lieutenant of the Sili School, Zhang Wen already had the power to supervise hundreds of officials and had the ability to impeach and remove any officials under the Taifu. Therefore, he was very sensitive to some recent events in Luoyang.

He had also heard about Yuan Shao's name, and his fame impressed the Luoyang scholars. He forced the general servant Cao Jie to escape in despair with a single shot, not afraid of the powerful.

Most of the conversations after dinner in Luoyang City were about Yuan Shao.

What's even better is that he will be temporarily listed as Luoyang's model for the world.

As soon as this statement came out, it attracted the praise of scholars in Luoyang and even surrounding counties. Gradually, Yuan Shao's reputation became more and more popular.

Censor Zhongcheng Xiao Yuan also looked at the Taifu in surprise, and was very interested in Yuan Shao, who suddenly became famous.

Chen Fan, who was sitting in the upper position, sighed with emotion: "Today Yuan Shao is a role model for the younger generation in the world, and countless young scholars are eager to follow him. However, his teacher is just like Yuan Shao. He was a school captain of Sili and never backed down before the late emperor. When the court obstructed him, he resolutely arrested all the eunuchs who had violated the law and questioned them. He also guarded the border fortress, forcing the foreigners to change their ways and send envoys to become ministers."

Zhang Wen's eyes gradually turned into memories, and after a while, he said with surprise: "Li Ying Li Yuanli?"

Xiao Yuan spoke up and said: "If it is Li Yuanli, it would not be surprising. With his style of teaching and passing on scriptures, he has mastered both literary, Taoist and military strategies. His students must have been deeply influenced by him if he has such a style today."

Chen Fan nodded and replied: "It is indeed Li Ying. It was Li Ying who said that Yuan Shao has entered Luoyang to serve as an official. He boasted in front of me and recommended him to Haikou."

Yin Xun and the others did not know the inside story. When they learned that it was Li Ying who recommended him, they hurriedly asked: "Is it that Li Yuanli doesn't know how to avoid relatives by recommending talents? Even students need to avoid suspicion, so as not to be criticized by outsiders and cause trouble."

But Chen Fan shook his head: "Li Yuanli, you all know that his nature is like a blazing fire, he does things vigorously and resolutely, and he can't tolerate any sand in his eyes."

"However, when he mentioned this student, Li Yuanli changed instantly, lowered his attitude, and almost begged me."

Hearing this, Yin Xun and the others were even more surprised. Li Yuanli had always been aloof and not good at socializing with others, but now he was willing to lower his stature and be nepotistic for a student.

Naturally, they understood that Li Ying was not someone who wanted to follow people's influence, let alone someone who wanted to cater to them.

The fact that he would do this shows that this student named Yuan Shao is enough for him to abandon all face and body to seek opportunities for him to become an official.

Zhang Wen suddenly asked: "Did the surname Yuan Shao come from the Yuan family in Runan, or the Yuan family in Chen County?"

"He is the nephew of the current servant Yuan Feng." Chen Fan was somewhat reluctant to reveal the news.

(End of this chapter)