The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 382 Liu Bei Conquered the Four Counties in Southern Jing

Zhang Zhao said disdainfully: "During the time of Emperor Gaozu, the world was peaceful, so there was a saying that only the Liu family could be king. Now that the Prime Minister has restored order in the country, his contribution is great, so why can't he be king?"

"Your Majesty, Empress Lü once appointed the Lü clan as kings. Therefore, the decision that only the Liu family can be king is long outdated." Zhang Hong stepped out and said.

After hearing this, Liu Xie clenched his fists and his body trembled. He felt very annoyed because he had already decided to enthrone Qin Shou as king. He had long forgotten the ancestral rule that "only members of the Liu family can be king". Now these people brought it up again. Isn't this a slap in his face?
"Zhu Lu? Does the Prime Minister want to be one of them?" Kong Rong was a stubborn man. He relied on his status and snorted coldly: "Everyone in the world is watching! Can the Prime Minister stop the people from talking? Aren't you afraid of being attacked by the people in the world?"

Zhong Yao glanced at the other person, and there was some gloom in his eyes. If it weren't for the other person's identity, he would have found a way to kill him long ago, and would not have let him live until now.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister's great contribution must be rewarded. I think he should be promoted to Duke. Only in this way can the Prime Minister's achievements be fully recognized." Zhong Yao stepped out and said.

"Your Majesty, what Lord Zhong said is very true. Without the title of Duke, the Prime Minister's contribution cannot be rewarded." Gu Yong also stepped out and said.

"I second the motion." Cai Yong came out.

"I second the proposal."

All the ministers praised him.

Liu Xie, however, was as depressed as if his father had died. He wanted to make Qin Shou a king. On the one hand, he had no other choice, and on the other hand, he also wanted to disgust Qin Shou.

Unexpectedly, the other party was so rational, but this also meant that in the near future, he would pretend to enthrone him as king and even abdicate the throne.

I just don’t know if the other party will take my life at that time.

Thinking of this, a trace of fear suddenly appeared on Liu Xie's face.

"Approve your request and confer the title of Duke on the Prime Minister." Liu Xie hurriedly asked, "What do you think should be the best title?"

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister was born in Bingzhou, which is located on the side of the Fen River. It was part of the Tang Dynasty in ancient times and he can be the Duke of Tang." Zhong Yao said immediately.

Everyone suddenly realized that everything had been prepared, otherwise Zhong Yao would not have said such a thing. After all, this was related to the future fortune of the new dynasty.

After hearing this, Kong Rong's eyes were filled with anger. Today he is the Duke of Tang, tomorrow he will be the King of Tang, and the day after tomorrow he will be the emperor. Qin Shou's ambition was completely exposed.

"Your Majesty, how can the country passed down by our ancestors be divided among others?" Kong Rong cried loudly.

Shi Sunrui and other royalist party members also knelt down.

"Then I will follow your request and confer the title of Duke of Tang on the Prime Minister." Liu Xie's nails dug deeply into his palms, his face cold.

At this moment, he did not hate Qin Shou, but hated Kong Rong.

The general trend is like this and he cannot stop it. He has already admitted defeat, but Kong Rong still shows up. Is he trying to increase his sense of guilt?
A person who does not consider the king and father at all is not a good minister.

"Your Majesty is wise." All the ministers cheered loudly. As for Kong Rong and others, they had long been forgotten. A person who does not know what is good for him is destined to not live long, even if this person is a descendant of Confucius.

After completing his task, Liu Xie left Chongming Hall. If possible, he would never appear in Chongming Hall. Attending court here was a shame for him.

"Old man, what did you just do?" Kong Rong couldn't wait to stop Yang Biao.

He didn't understand why Yang Biao, a royalist, didn't stop this from happening, and even seemed to support it, which made him very angry. "The father-in-law came to the palace to see His Majesty early this morning."

Yang Biao smiled bitterly.

Kong Rong's face turned pale and his heart went cold. He had guessed that the emperor had known about this for a long time and had already agreed to it.

Only a fool like me would refute this matter in the court.

"Haha, the emperor is not in a hurry, so why should I worry about it?" Kong Rong showed a trace of bitterness on his face. Even the emperor had given up struggling, what else could he say?

"Your Majesty has no other choice. In this situation, he can't do anything." Yang Biao explained for the emperor. After all, the general situation was in the hands of others. The emperor had no military power, so he couldn't change anything.

"Is the four hundred years of Han Dynasty going to be ruined? How can I face the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty after I die?" Kong Rong said with a wry smile.

Yang Biao didn't know what to say. Although he was on the emperor's side, his own son was Qin Shou's man and was given an important position. How could he explain this?

"With Cao Mengde and Liu Xuande still here, it's impossible for him to usurp the throne and become emperor," Yang Biao advised.

In fact, he also knew that this was impossible. Not to mention that their strength was not as good as Qin Shou's, even if they were stronger than the other, they were probably ambitious people.

Yang Biao now sees through these people. Their so-called loyalty to the emperor and patriotism are all fake. When it comes to the throne, who cares about the favors of the Han Dynasty?

It is also because of Qin Shou. Otherwise, no one knows how many people in this world would be emperors and kings.

It is ironic that some people curse Qin Shou in their hearts, but now the Han Dynasty is supported by him.

Are Cao Cao and Liu Bei really reliable? Yang Biao no longer has confidence in them.

At this moment, footsteps were heard in the distance, and a messenger in brocade clothes came running.

"I'm afraid something big has happened." Yang Biao didn't care about much else and hurried to the cabinet. He believed that the cabinet had already quarreled at this time.

Sure enough, when the other party arrived at the cabinet, he learned that Liu Bei had already occupied the four counties in southern Jing.

"This Zhuge Liang is so powerful that he actually took over the four counties of southern Jing in such a short time. Aren't the four counties of southern Jing the private land of the Kuai family? How did Liu Bei take them down?" Gu Yong was a little puzzled.

"With Kuai Yue entering the capital, Kuai Liang will be unable to hold on alone in Jingzhou. It is possible that he will leave the four counties in southern Jingzhou to Liu Bei." Zhong Yao explained.

"If Liu Bei gets the four counties in southern Jing, he will be like a trapped dragon ascending to heaven. The troops in the four counties are enough to make his strength soar!" Xun You said worriedly, "I am more worried about Jingzhou. Cai Mao and Kuai Liang are definitely not Zhuge Liang's opponents."

Everyone nodded. No one in the four counties of southern Jing took it seriously, but if the four counties of southern Jing were combined with Jingzhou and joined forces with Cao Cao, they would be a formidable enemy of the Cavalry Army.

"Or, please ask Lord Tang to lead the army south immediately. Although Liu Bei occupies the four counties in southern Jing, his foothold is not stable yet. We can take this opportunity to eliminate him." Gu Yong hesitated.

"It's not appropriate. The army has just captured Hebei and needs to rest. Now is not the best time to march south." Xun You shook his head.

(End of this chapter)