My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 339: Warriors in Power
"Marquis Tao has looked much more haggard these days?"

Chang'an City, Prime Minister's Mansion.

Liu She sat in the main seat at the top, his eyes bloodshot;
Holding a bowl of dark-colored tea with a complex flavor in one hand, he gently rubbed his forehead with the other hand, taking advantage of this rare leisure time to relax his tired brain.

Hearing this concern, Liu She relaxed for a long time before letting out a tired sigh.

"Wei Qihou, the Imperial Censor, seems to be enjoying his free time."

"But it's hard for me in the outer court - from the Prime Minister's Office down, the three dukes and nine ministers each have their own office. Except for Wei Qihou's office of the Imperial Censor, only the Minister of the Imperial Clan can have a little free time..."

Liu She grumbled lightly, smiled bitterly and shook his head. It took him a long time to recover from the fatigue that made his brain freeze.

After taking another sip of tea, Fang asked with a faint smile, "I wonder what important matter has brought Marquis Wei Qi to visit you today?"

He asked this all the time without showing any abnormality on his face, but secretly, Liu She felt a little dissatisfied with Dou Ying.

——During this period, everyone inside and outside the court has been very busy!
After all, you, Dou Ying, are the Imperial Censor of the current dynasty, one of the Three Dukes, and you are the next Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty after Liu She!
It would be fine if you didn't lend a hand - after all, you are the Imperial Censor, and your main responsibility is to appoint and dismiss officials, as well as conduct supervision, which is really not your expertise;

But even if you can't help, you can't cause trouble for others, right?

Liu She didn't believe that Dou Ying could have any serious business coming to him at this juncture.

Inside and outside the court, the important matters nowadays are almost all concentrated on the new land of the Han family: Hetao.

In terms of military, the Hetao region needs to build defense lines in the Hexi direction in the west and Gaoque direction in the north;
Moreover, it is different from the temporary defense lines built during wartime - the defense lines in these two directions, especially the Gaoque direction, are to be built into normalized defense lines like the Beidi, Shang, Dai, and Daibei areas.

Simply put, it is necessary to assemble permanent border defense troops in these two directions of the Hetao region, and rely on the local terrain to put the border guards in a relatively less harsh strategic situation.

Although Liu She, as the prime minister, did not have to worry about these things, he still had to carry out the concrete operations.

For example, the current Liu Rong gave an order to build a city called Bowang along the northern line of the Hetao region, facing Gaoque across the river.

As the prime minister, Liu She needed to coordinate and transfer the materials and labor needed to build the city, and at the same time handle the corresponding procedures.

After Bowang City is built, Liu She will need to come forward and discuss with the current Liu Rong and professionals - military generals: what model Bowang City should take in the future.

Is it to be made into a military town like Mayi, with heavy garrisons and the population consisting of military dependents?

Or is it like other border walled cities, setting up military camps outside the city, but at the same time allocating residences to the soldiers inside the city, allowing them to return to the city from time to time and live with the people in the city?

Furthermore: since it is a new city, whether it is to relocate military dependents or farmers, the goal is to "migrate to the border."

So if we want to relocate farmers there, where do we find these immigrants?
We can't just do what Qin Shihuang did and pick a general like Ren Xiong or Zhao Tuo and lead hundreds of thousands of Qin people to live a barbaric life, right?
All of the above are just military considerations.

On the political level, Liu She had even more headaches.

——Who will serve as the prefect of the newly established Shuofang and Wuyuan counties?
How should the corresponding leadership teams, such as the county commander, county chancellor, county governor, etc., be considered?

What are the principles for selecting candidates for the leadership teams of the counties under the jurisdiction of these two counties, such as the Bowang County that has already been determined to be established?
If it were ordinary counties, or even border counties with ordinary strategic significance, Liu She would not care about these matters.

Just throw it all to the Grand Censor, ask him to provide a list of candidates, and then the current Emperor Liu Rong will make the final decision, or it can be voted on in the court.

However, Shuofang and Wuyuan counties were newly conquered territories and of great strategic significance. No matter how willing he was to be a hands-off boss or how much he didn't care about the reputation of being a "lucky and treacherous prime minister" in the public opinion, Liu She did not dare to be lazy on this matter.

Even the future development of Wuyuan and Shuofang counties - what the local economic core should be, agriculture or animal husbandry, etc., were responsibilities that Liu Shetui could not shirk.

So during this period of time, Liu She was very busy and tired.

It was not only the complicated government affairs that made the elderly Liu She physically exhausted;
One thing after another, one thing after another, requiring Liu She to consider, weigh, and even come up with solutions, made Liu She feel mentally exhausted.

At this time, Liu She really wanted to post a notice outside the prime minister's residence: Don't bother me unless you come to help!

It was at this critical moment that Dou Ying arrived.

What can Dou Ying do?
Regardless of his position as Imperial Censor, it has nothing to do with the word "help";

Even from the perspective of ability, how can Dou Ying, a great scholar of the time and a general born to a relative of the emperor, help Liu She in matters concerning specific government affairs?

Almost the moment he saw Dou Ying, Liu She made a judgment: Dou Ying is definitely not here to help.

I'm not here to help, but that's okay.

After all, Liu She was the prime minister;
Although he was very tired, didn't want to see anyone, and didn't want his attention to be distracted by other trivial matters, if there was an important matter that needed to be handled or decided by himself as the prime minister, Liu She would have to meet the right people and do the right things no matter how reluctant he was.

But Dou Ying!
he!
What big deal could it be?!

"But it's not an important matter."

"It's just that recently, the court has been very busy both inside and outside. As a senior official of the imperial court, I am a little nervous."

"I just came to pay my respects to you. I want to see the Prime Minister's Mansion of Marquis Tao. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Almost at the moment when Dou Ying finished speaking, a hint of irritability flashed across Liu She's face, which was full of fatigue, but he had to force himself to cheer up and force a smile!
Sure enough, there is nothing serious!

As for Dou Ying's polite words "Come and see if I can help in any way", Liu She instinctively ignored it.

Again, Dou Ying was a "great scholar of the time" and a great general born of a relative of the emperor's mother, a relative of the emperor's mother's family.
For a man like this, if you ask him to study and research classics, it will be no problem for Dou Ying.
Let him be responsible for a specific project, and with the support of the Dou family's in-laws, there is unlikely to be any problems.

Even when it comes to fighting a war - after all, he has been a general. Although he cannot achieve any earth-shattering victory, such as defeating the enemy with a smaller force or defeating the strong with a weak one, he can still be used after all.

But this is a specific government matter...

"I don't know why Your Majesty thinks that Dou Ying is worthy of the position of Prime Minister."

Although muttering to himself, Liu She still had a smile on his face, quietly waiting for Dou Ying's reply.

——After all, his academic status is there, and he is also a relative of the Empress Dowager with military honors and the support of the current emperor;

No matter how confused he was secretly, Liu She was still willing to put in the effort to appear confident.

Although he didn't notice anything from Liu She's words or expression, for some reason, Dou Ying still felt something vaguely.

A Confucian scholar;
Thin-skinned.

He immediately felt a little embarrassed, touched his nose with a bit of embarrassment, and forced a few laughs.

After finally suppressing the awkwardness in his heart, Dou Ying finally straightened his face and explained his purpose.

"I have never been very familiar with the government affairs in the court, especially the prime minister's office."

"But now, I have been honored by Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager to serve as the Imperial Censor, a position among the Three Dukes;"

"Given time, even if I am honored to live in the prime minister's residence and become the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, it is possible..."

Dou Ying said this with a bit of shyness, but he still smiled awkwardly and raised his head, casting an apologetic look at Liu She. After Liu She turned his eyes away from him with a fake smile, Dou Ying continued, "Normally, I wanted to ask Tao Hou for advice on the government affairs of the Prime Minister's Mansion, but for various reasons, it was inconvenient to ask."

"It just so happens that the Prime Minister's Mansion is very busy with government affairs and is in need of people~"

“Ahem;”

"That's why I came here so shamelessly, hoping to get familiar with the affairs of the Prime Minister's Mansion by assisting Marquis Tao."

"——At such a critical moment, I shouldn't have bothered you rashly;"

"As long as the Empress Dowager urges me again and again, I have no choice but to do this even if I am unwilling..."

After he said this, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Dou Ying's forehead even though it was the cold winter of the twelfth lunar month.

It's not that Prime Minister Liu She was so powerful that even a relative like Dou Ying felt uneasy.

But Dou Ying was really too embarrassed to talk about it, so embarrassed that he broke out in a sweat.

Seeing Dou Ying acting like this, even though Liu She was still unhappy inwardly, he could no longer bear to blame him.

——Dou Ying’s words were just right.

It was clearly the Empress Dowager who was backing Dou Ying up, telling him to "go ahead boldly. With me here, Liu She won't dare to embarrass you."
But when Dou Ying spoke, it seemed that Dou Ying was unwilling to come, but the Empress Dowager urged Dou Ying to study and make progress!
Dou Ying did not dare to disobey his elders’ earnest expectations, so he shamelessly went to their house, hoping that Liu She would not blame him…

Regardless of the facts, just this statement naturally made Liu She feel a lot better.

Furthermore, Dou Ying's words also hinted that Dou Ying rushed to come for internship despite being busy all the time in the Prime Minister's Mansion, which also had the intention of the current Liu Rong.

But Dou Ying's words were still so beautiful that there was nothing wrong with them.

——Dou Ying didn’t say: His Majesty asked me to come. If Marquis Tao has any objections, then go and talk to His Majesty!

Instead, while implicitly pointing out that "Your Majesty asked me to come", he described it as: I am at least a censor~
In the future, I will definitely become the prime minister~
If you don't learn how to run a prime minister's residence early, you will be a laughing stock when you become prime minister in the future.
From a personal point of view, Liu She disliked Zhou Yafu very much.

It had nothing to do with Zhou Yafu's temper. It was simply that after the Wu-Chu Rebellion was quelled, when Zhou Yafu was transferred from the position of Grand Marshal to the position of Prime Minister, the government affairs of the Prime Minister's Office were not going smoothly and were almost at a standstill for a few years, which made Liu She very dissatisfied.

It is true that Liu She was a favored minister and a favored official;
But Liu She was able to gain a foothold in the court not by flattery or fawning on others.

In fact, even if we put aside the political label of being a descendant of the Xiang family and the first chastity arch in the Han Dynasty, Liu She could reach the level of Nine Ministers based on his personal strength alone.

Liu She has an instinctive aversion to anyone who is just sitting there doing nothing, not only occupying a position but also causing trouble for others and preventing them from getting their work done.

This was the case with Zhou Yafu;

The same was true for Dou Ying.

Ever since Dou Ying became the Imperial Censor, Liu She had secretly concluded that making Dou Ying the prime minister was a political compromise between the current Liu Rong and Empress Dowager Dou.

The current Liu Rong offered the position of prime minister and the protection of the Dou family's relatives for decades to come - even to ensure that they would continue to prosper for decades after the death of Empress Dowager Dou, in exchange for the Empress Dowager Dou giving up her power, allowing Liu Rong to take power smoothly.

In this way, Dou Ying's appointment as prime minister was not so much a case of picking a general from among dwarfs, but rather a decision by Liu Rong to sacrifice the prime minister's residence - and even the entire outer court for a few years - in order to smoothly take power.

Let Dou Ying stay in the position of prime minister for a few years, let him have enough fun, let the Dou family's relatives gain enough face, and fulfill his political promise to Empress Dowager Dou. Then quickly replace him with a capable prime minister to clean up the problems and chaos accumulated during Dou Ying's years as prime minister.

It was precisely because of this prejudice that Liu She secretly sneered at Dou Ying, the "great scholar of the time", and even vaguely disdained to associate with him.

But when Dou Ying came to the door today and said, "I want to intern in the Prime Minister's Residence and get familiar with government affairs in advance," and said it so beautifully, showing his emotional intelligence and business acumen, Liu She's opinion of Dou Ying couldn't help but change a little.

Dou Ying, this guy~
Are you going to do this for real?

Instead of indulging in the golden seal and purple ribbon in the prime minister's residence, he wants to be in charge of the outer court?
Thinking of this, there was a hint of sincerity in Liu She's eyes when he looked at Dou Ying.

Even in the usual hypocritical smile on his face, there was a touch of genuine closeness.

——Liu She is a lucky minister, and he is most afraid of being accused of doing nothing!
Therefore, Liu She was willing to do things, but at the same time he hated those who did not do anything and admired those who were willing to do things.

Especially a relative like Dou Ying who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, made Liu She look at him with a higher regard.

But nowadays, the Prime Minister's Mansion is really busy;
No matter how much Liu She admired Dou Ying's "willingness to learn" attitude, it was really...

"Um……"

"Since Marquis Wei Qi is honest, I will not pretend to be nice to him."

"——Nowadays, most of the issues that the Prime Minister's Office needs to resolve are related to the two counties of Shuofang and Wuyuan."

"I'm sorry that I cannot leave any of these matters entirely to Wei Qihou to handle."

"If you just want to listen to or observe government affairs, Wei Qihou can come to the Prime Minister's Residence at any time - you can ask anyone for advice at any place in the Prime Minister's Residence at any time."

"You can even ask His Majesty or even the Empress Dowager for advice directly."

···
"If Wei Qihou really wanted to do something practical..."

"Um……"

In the end, perhaps because he couldn't bear to reject Dou Ying and dampen his enthusiasm, Liu She hesitated.

In the end, Liu She gritted his teeth, stood up and bowed slightly to Dou Ying.

"If Marquis Weiqi does not mind, the East and West Markets of Chang'an, as well as the Huai Market outside the city, may be managed by Marquis Weiqi temporarily."

"—there is no need to do anything."

"We only need to deal with these three cities, and any incidents that occur on a daily basis, so that the three cities of East, West, and Huai are all resolved without having to report to the Prime Minister's Office."

···
"Wei Qi Hou, please don't think this is just a perfunctory move on my part."

"——During the reign of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, the three markets of East, West and Huai were once the crown princes of the time: Emperor Xiaojing handed them over to Chao Cuo."

"At that time, Emperor Xian Xiaojing said to Emperor Taizong Xiaowen: Chao Cuo is a man of great learning and outstanding talent."

"But whether Zhao Kuo is just an armchair strategist depends on whether Chao Cuo can manage the complicated market in an orderly manner."

"I don't need to elaborate on what happened later, you already know it."

···
"After last year's battle, my Han family will surely be ruled by warriors."

"Wei Qihou is physically disabled and it is difficult for him to make any achievements in the army."

"This time, maybe it will be Wei Qihou's chance to turn from military to civil, and from the army to the court..."

(End of this chapter)