I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 527: Huang Wan Reflects on Her Own Repentance

There were many eyes and ears in the palace. As Huang Wan left the Yuntai Palace in a somewhat embarrassed manner and passed through the Taige area where many ministers were present, there was almost no need for anyone to spread the news from the Yuntai Palace. Some politically sensitive court officials had already guessed what had happened.

Afterwards, Huang Wan returned to his mansion, stayed indoors and didn't even go out, not even attending regular court sessions without any reason. This further proves everything.

Therefore, even though Huang Wan still held the post of Inspector of the Imperial Guards, in the eyes of some people, it was no different from him having resigned.

However, there were also people in Luoyang who were dissatisfied with Huang Wan's experience.

"Mr. Huang was imprisoned by the party in the past, but it was later lifted. He worked hard and never complained. Today, everyone can see what he said and did. Why is he being treated like this now that he is old?"

"Mr. Huang just wants to reduce the killing in the world. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"If we don't speak out, I'm afraid that what happened to Mr. Sizhi will happen again in Guangxi!"

The person who shouted the loudest was named Ni Heng.

It has been many years since Ni Heng came to Beijing. Wang Can, who had fought with him in the past, had served as the Yellow Gate Minister and the School Secretary successively, but now he is not even the School Secretary anymore.

But Ni Heng remained a hermit.

It's not that no one recommended him. The Assistant Censor Kong Rong thought that Ni Heng was the most talented person in the world and there was no one better than him. But unfortunately, no matter how he recommended him to the three ministers, none of them was willing to recruit Ni Heng. It was really that Ni Heng had been notorious for his foul mouth in recent years.

Moreover, Ni Heng doesn't care about the closeness of the relationship. As long as he doesn't like something, he will just criticize it.

Kong Rong treated Ni Heng very well. Even though Liu Bian had not issued an edict to recruit talents, Kong Rong wrote a letter to recommend Ni Heng and handed it to Liu Bian.

Liu Bian did not refuse, but gave the right to deal with the memorial to Taifu Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, who was also the Minister of the Secretariat at the time. The two of them, together with He Miao, tacitly put the memorial aside.

In fact, they are not afraid of offending people, but if the former officials who were recruited offend normal people for no reason, few people dare to take this responsibility.

Kong Rong, the only one who dared to take responsibility for Ni Heng, did not have the power to appoint officials.

Now, after Ni Heng made such remarks, some of his friends who were still friends with him quietly reduced their contacts with Ni Heng, even Bian Rang was the same. Only Kong Rong seemed to think that avoiding him was a sin, and in order to show his integrity, he not only did not avoid suspicion, but interacted more with Ni Heng.

In Situ Mansion, Dong Zhuo was rejoicing.

When he failed to recommend Gongsun Du, he wanted to recruit him as an official, but he did not expect the latter to rebel. Fortunately, the emperor did not punish him for this.

Afterwards, he turned his attention to Ni Heng - Dong Zhuo thought, since he had proposed measuring the land, he would offend anyone who had unregistered land at home, so it wouldn't matter if he offended one or two more people like Ni Heng.

Fortunately, before he made up his mind, Ni Heng had already sided with Huang Wan.

This made Dong Zhuo completely give up the idea of ​​recruiting Ni Heng: speaking for Huang Wan would offend the emperor, and comparing Huang Wan with Yang Zhen, one of the Four Knowledgeable Scholars - not only offending the emperor, but also offending the Minister of Works Yang Biao.

Fortunately, there was no conscription.

But Dong Zhuo never thought about this - even if he summoned Ni Heng, would he really respond?
Not to mention those who were outside, even Huang Wan, who was forced to stay at home on paid leave, found it difficult to accept Ni Heng's kindness when he heard what Ni Heng said on his behalf.

This is not helping him at all. Once Ni Heng's words reach the emperor's ears, it will be clear that he is wishing him death!
Although Huang Wan had the courage to die for his ideals, he never thought of dying like this. Just when Huang Wan was forced by Ni Heng and was thinking about whether to write a letter of apology to prevent the emperor from believing Ni Heng's words, a guest suddenly came to his house.

"Pang Ji?"

Huang Wan looked at the person who came. He had some impression of Pang Ji. He remembered that he should be a member of the government who had been recruited by General He Jin. Later, the general was dismissed and he never saw Pang Ji again.

However, the other party was indeed a very famous celebrity, and he came to Huang Wan when he was down and out. Even though Huang Wan had almost no contact with him, he was willing to treat him with courtesy.

"Please sit down. It has been many years since we last met at the General's Mansion."

Pang Ji sat upright, maintaining the demeanor of a famous scholar, and replied: "You can just call me Yuantu. To be honest, I just returned to Luoyang from Guandong, and I saw all kinds of things during my trip... I wanted to ask you to write a letter to the emperor so that he would know about it, but after entering Luoyang, I heard about what you encountered. So I didn't know what to do for a while, so I came to visit you without hesitation."

Hearing this, Huang Wan hurriedly asked, "What is the situation in Guandong?"

Since the war broke out, all the news he had heard about Kanto came from official documents, etc., and he had never seen it with his own eyes.

Seeing this, Pang Ji sighed and put on a compassionate attitude: "The officers and soldiers have poor military discipline, and the rioters are looting everywhere. Both sides are committing atrocities. On the way here, I was arrested by the officers and soldiers several times because I was a commoner and forced to work as a laborer. In this way, the people who did not cause the riot are the ones who suffer the most!"

Huang Wan sighed upon seeing this. He had actually been feeling very depressed at home during this period. When he saw Pang Ji, who shared the same ideals as him and was also known as a famous scholar, he could not help but say, "That's exactly the case. When the war breaks out, it is the ordinary people who are exhausted."

"Their fathers, brothers and sons either went to the battlefield or transported military supplies. This was the case even before the war broke out in Sili, so you can see it in other places."

Seeing this, Pang Ji said to Huang Wan: "I agree with you, but I don't know how to stop the war!"

"Every day the war continues in the provinces and counties is a day of suffering and loss to the people."

Faced with this question, Huang Wan had no answer.

After a little hesitation, he finally revealed to Pang Ji: "Your Majesty has made up his mind, so he recalled Zhu Gongwei as the Grand Commandant. I have repeatedly advised you, but Your Majesty did not accept it. As for the last time... Alas, I was anxious at the time and spoke nonsense."

After hearing what Huang Wan said, Pang Ji suddenly burst into tears.

Huang Wan quickly asked why.

Pang Ji explained with tears in his eyes: "I am crying for the elders in my hometown and for the people in various states who are still suffering from the war!"

"If a virtuous and capable minister like you can't persuade the emperor to change his mind with words, I'm afraid that if nothing unexpected happens, there will be no one in the world who can persuade the emperor with words."

"Unless something unexpected happened at the imperial court or on the front line... But even though I am a hermit now, I once served in the general's mansion. How can I make such disloyal and unfilial hopes?"

"So, I can only cry helplessly."

Huang Wan sighed again when she saw this.

Yes, unless something unexpected happens, the emperor will definitely not change his mind.

But as a minister of the emperor, how could he expect any unexpected changes to happen?
(End of this chapter)