Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 310: The Conflict between the Emperor and the Civil Officials

Chapter 310: The Conflict between the Emperor and the Civil Officials

After Liu Bian left, under great pressure, the Secretariat convened a meeting again.

His Majesty in the palace told the Secretariat almost directly that he was very dissatisfied with it and began to take action.

This was like "bad news" for the Shangshutai.

After Liu Xie, who was in charge of the Censorate, and Wang Lang, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, arrived, the two offices in the Secretariat were assembled.

This is the highest level of management of the civil service group in the Han Dynasty.

After Zhong Yao read Liu Bian's words in front of the Jiade Hall, everyone looked unhappy.

The emperor in the palace has always been gentle and rarely confronts court officials. This is the first time he has expressed his attitude so bluntly!

As a court judge, it was the first time that Wang Lang was pulled into the Secretariat. As a former prime minister, it was not surprising that he was wary and excluded by the "Yingchuan Party".

It was not until the Minister of Justice Zhong Yao recounted the situation that I realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Your Majesty, have you become suspicious of the Yingchuan Party?" Wang Lang thought silently, and then turned to think about the overall situation.

Appointing Yuan Shao as the rear general and commanding the troops in the south to suppress Dong Zhuo, does it mean that the palace is completely disappointed with Cao Cao and no longer trusts the ability of the Grand Marshal's Mansion?

Liu Xie, who was sitting to the lower left of Xun Yu and had a special and prominent status, had more thoughts.

In his opinion, the Han Dynasty was divided into two, and everyone present, except Cao Cao, was guilty!

He was hiding his anger in his heart but didn't show it on his face.

In the silence, Liu Xie could no longer hold back and said, "Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, and Sun Jian all have ulterior motives. Even if they destroy Dong Zhuo, there will be another Dong Zhuo. I suggest that the court should take precedence."

Everyone looked at him, and Xun You said, "Your Highness, among the southern armies, Cao Cao still has 30,000 soldiers, Liu Bei has 10,000, and Huang Zhong in Yanzhou has 30,000. How do we lead them?"

Yanzhou can be said to be the gateway and strategic location of Sili. After suppressing the rebellions of Yuan Yi, Qiao Mao and others, Liu Bian devoted all his efforts to building Yanzhou. Among the states controlled by the court, only Yanzhou had an army of more than 30,000 stationed!

Therefore, the troops in Yanzhou cannot be moved lightly.

According to Xun You, the only two people who could represent the court to fight against Dong Zhuo were Liu Bei and Cao Cao.

Cao Cao had just been defeated, and his morale had dropped greatly, so he could not be counted on. Liu Bei also had a bad start, was defeated by Lu Bu, and withdrew from Langya County.

Apart from these two people, everyone present thought about it and it seemed that, apart from Grand Marshal Liu Yu leading the troops personally, there was no other candidate?

There was a gap in the Han Dynasty court when it came to generals!

Liu Xie couldn't help but frowned, and then he became alert. Not only the military generals, but also the civil officials, since the retirement of the former Prime Minister Yang Biao, the Secretariat has been filled with some unqualified "young people"?

Xun Yu sat in the main seat, taking in everyone's expressions. After a long pause, he said to Liu Yu, "Mr. Liu, let's take Yuan Shao as the leader, and cooperate with Liu Biao, Gongsun Zan, and Sun Jian. And in the north, let's take Huang Zhong, the General of the Tiger Guards of Yanzhou, as the leader, and cooperate with Cao Cao and Liu Bei. How do you think?"

Liu Yu heard this, thought for a moment, and said, "Liu Bei, there is nothing wrong with Cao Cao, but if you want to mobilize Huang Zhong, you must be affiliated with the military department, or have the order of your majesty."

Zhong Yao looked at Liu Yu and suddenly something dawned on him.

The military power of this Grand Marshal seemed to be severely restricted by the palace!

Completely different from the previous Grand Marshal Huangfu Song!

You must know that when Huangfu Song was in power, the palace handed over all military power to the Grand Marshal's Mansion.

Seeing that they were still thinking about "perfecting the will", Sima Jun had to speak up: "Gentlemen, His Majesty's meaning is very clear. The north should not be moved for the time being. The court should focus on the "new policy" and not create any complications."

This was the second time Sima Jun reminded people not to create unnecessary complications, and the warning could not be more obvious.

This "detail" is not in the "one stage and two government offices", but in the palace.

If the 'one agency and two ministries' still cannot comprehend the palace's intentions, then it will not be 'internal supervision' or 'Beijing inspection', but may be the wrath of thunder!

Xun You glanced at him, unable to hold back his anger, and said in a deep voice: "Sima Gong, Yuan Shao, Sun Jian and his ilk are birds of a feather with Dong Zhuo. Their wolfish ambitions are clear to the world. How can the court sit idly by and watch?"

Seeing Xun You's stubbornness, Sima Jun shook his head and sighed, "I am old and I am afraid I am no longer able to help Your Majesty and contribute to the court."

Xun You was furious and could not help but yell, "You old ..."

"Sima Gong!"

Seeing Xun You about to explode and tear his face apart, Zhong Yao immediately interrupted loudly and said to Sima Jun with a stern face: "Sima Gong, the state is in a difficult time, how can Sima Gong retreat? Everything can be discussed, please do not damage the dignity of the court."

Sima Jun said nothing more. He had already seen that there were also divisions within the Yingchuan Party, and they were quite serious.

When Liu Xie, Wang Lang and Liu Yu saw them quarreling, they looked at each other secretly, with complex and solemn expressions in their eyes.

The power of the court is basically controlled by the "Yingchuan Party". If they cannot make a decision, it will inevitably lead to major failures!

Wang Lang was the Chief Justice and also the former Prime Minister's man, which was a bit awkward.

However, Liu Xie had a high status and was in charge of the Censorate, so it was not easy for him to intervene.

Liu Yu thought about it again and again, and said: "Although it cannot be used, it can be used in name only."

Xun Yu instantly understood what Liu Yu meant and asked, "You can't just talk?"

Liu Yu nodded and said, "This way, we will not violate the imperial order, but also give it enough momentum. This way, we may be able to speed up the elimination of Dong Zhuo and also deter those who have different intentions."

Xun You, Zhong Yao, Sima Jun, Liu Xie, Wang Lang and others felt somewhat uncomfortable with this proposal, but they could not find any reason to refute it.

Xun Yu was silent for a while, and suddenly said: "Afterwards, Yuzhou and Xuzhou will be in the hands of the court!"

Liu Yu and Xun Yu looked at each other, slightly startled, and then said seriously: "The Prime Minister is right."

Yuzhou and Xuzhou are now the dividing line between the north and the south. If Yuzhou and Xuzhou fall into the hands of ambitious people, it will directly threaten Sili and Luoyang!

This is something that the Han government and the people cannot accept!

Although there were some twists and turns, the "one Taiwan and two governments" finally reached a consensus on the issue of "debunking Dong".

Soon, the meeting room of the Shangshutai gradually became quiet.

The matter of "defeating Dong Zhuo" was settled, and next, Liu Bian gave a long speech on the "New Deal" in front of the Jiade Hall.

The emperor in the palace blocked the "gentlemen" of the current court in the Jiade Hall and said a series of words such as "changing the reign", "filling vacancies", "imperial inspection", and "internal supervision", which clearly showed his distrust of the Shangshutai.

This was something unprecedented. Even the previous "ineffective" prime minister and the emperor in the palace had never publicly issued such a severe warning!

Zhong Yao felt the tense atmosphere and smiled as he said, "The stagnation of the 'New Deal' is due to many factors, not because the Secretariat is not paying attention. Your Majesty is aware of this. The many things your majesty mentioned are also the direction for the Secretariat to solve the problems. The Secretariat has had plans since Yang Gong. Now that the summer harvest is about to end, some policies are just right to be promulgated."

Zhong Yao's words were to give the Secretariat a way out and also to provide an explanation to everyone present, in order to ease the conflicts inside and outside the palace and within the court.

After hearing Zhong Yao's words, everyone's expressions lightened up a little.

Liu Xie exhaled lightly and said, "Gentlemen, I will follow your orders and launch the 'Jingcha' to conduct strict assessments of all officials. Please understand."

Once the Censorate used its power of "supervision", the party most affected would be the Chancellery, or the "Yingchuan Party".

Liu Xie spoke uprightly and openly, and Xun Yu, Xun You, Zhong Yao and others could only nod to show that they understood.

Xun You, as the Right Servant and concurrently the Minister of Personnel, raised his hand and said, "Your Highness, please proceed as you wish. The Ministry of Personnel will fully cooperate."

Liu Xie smiled faintly at Xun You's cooperation and did not take it seriously.

When the real thing comes, Xun You will not be so easy to talk to.

Xun Yu could not deny this, and gradually formed a plan in his mind. He said, "Let's stop here today. Tomorrow the Shangshutai will convene the six ministries and nine temples to discuss matters. Your Highness, Wang Tingwei, and the Grand Marshal are invited to attend and listen."

Liu Xie, Wang Lang, and Liu Yu naturally said nothing and raised their hands and said, "Of course."

This seemingly serious and depressing meeting ended here.

But everyone present knew very well that many problems had not yet been discovered and would sooner or later lead to big problems!

Especially the attitude of the palace.

The crisis of the 'Yingchuan Party' came unexpectedly.

After Wang Lang, Sima Jun, Liu Yu, and Liu Xie left, the only three people left, Xun Yu, Xun You, and Zhong Yao, were silent for a while. Xun Yu stood up and said, "Come to my study to talk."

Zhong Yao and Xun You nodded and stood up.

There are some things that cannot be said openly, but they cannot ignore them, so after the general meeting, they will hold a small meeting.

Inside Chongde Hall.

After Liu Bian finished dealing with the accumulated affairs at hand, he was also thinking about the matters inside and outside the palace.

Cao Cao's defeat was a sudden event, but it also made Liu Bian realize that everything would not develop step by step as he expected.

He has to race against time!

"His Majesty."

I don’t know how long it was before a gentle call brought Liu Bian back to his senses.

Liu Bian looked up at Xu Yan who was not far away, hummed, took the teacup and said, "Have they finished their discussion?"

"Yes."

Xu Yan stepped forward and relayed to Liu Bian the discussion process and results of the Shangshutai as best as possible.

He frowned at Liu Yu's "compromise" and drank his tea without making any comment.

Xu Yan waited for a while, then said quickly as if he understood, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has not been in good health recently."

Empress Dowager Dong.

Liu Bian hummed and didn't care.

Xu Yan waited for a while and said, "Your Majesty, the Minister of Military Affairs, Huangfu Shangshu, seems to have had some disputes with the Grand Marshal, and there has been some noise recently."

These are all for the purpose of competing for military power.

Liu Bian knew this a long time ago. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Don't worry about it for now. Let them quarrel for a while. What's the news from Liu Bei?"

Xu Yan paused and turned to look at Pan Yin not far away.

Among the eunuchs in charge of the palace, Zuo Li was responsible for supervising all officials, while Pan Yin monitored the military intelligence of the world through the Imperial City Palace, that is, Huangfu Song.

Xu Yan gradually became responsible for monitoring the actions of all officials in Luoyang City.

Governors like Liu Bei who led troops outside the province were under the jurisdiction of the Imperial City.

Pan Yin understood and stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, according to the decree, Qingzhou Governor Sima Fang allocated 10,000 imperial guards to Liu Bei. Currently, Liu Bei has 20,000 soldiers and horses, and has been fighting with Lu Bu in Langya County. The outcome has not yet been determined."

Liu Bian thought again and again, and said, "What generals and counselors does he have?"

Pan Yin said: "The military commanders are mainly two sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. The counselors... I heard they are some traveling merchants, and some are people left behind by the former governor of Xuzhou, Tao Qian, such as Zhao Yu and others."

Liu Bian shook his head and said, "He is still inferior to Cao Cao after all."

Cao Cao had known his weaknesses for several years, and had lowered his status to seek out wise and resourceful people. However, Liu Bei had wasted his time in the past few years and had not recruited any talents.

Pan Yin and Xu Yan did not dare to respond. Cao Cao had just been defeated, and although Liu Bei could not accomplish anything, he also attracted much attention from the court and the public.

Liu Bian drank his tea and pondered in silence.

Pan Yin waited for a moment and continued, "Your Majesty, the Grand Marshal's Mansion is planning to deploy troops to the important passes near Luoyang to increase the number of troops."

Liu Bian nodded subconsciously and said, "If they also need me to teach them this, I will just drink some poison and die."

Pan Yin and Xu Yan were so frightened by Liu Bian's casual words that their faces turned pale. They knelt on the ground and said, "I am guilty."

Liu Bian frowned, waved his hands in annoyance and said, "Alright, leave if you have nothing else to do."

Pan Yin and Xu Yan were a little frightened. They responded in a low voice and slowly retreated.

Pan Yin left, and Liu Bian was about to pick up the memorial to review it when Pan Yin came in hurriedly and said in a hurry, "Your Majesty, it's bad. The Second Prince has climbed to the top of the tree and won't come down no matter how much we persuade him."

Liu Bian's face changed slightly, he threw down the memorial and walked out, asking: "What's going on? Why did you climb to the top of the tree? Where are you?"

Liu Bian walked quickly, and Pan Yin followed closely, saying, "In Changle Palace, for some reason, the maid said it was for fun, the Queen Mother was frightened, and Lady Tang cried anxiously. We didn't dare to shout loudly, and tried to persuade him quietly, but the Second Prince didn't listen at all."

Liu Bian walked faster.

When he arrived at Changle Palace, he saw everyone looking up at the treetops.

Liu Bian looked up and saw Liu Yu at the top of the tree, holding two small arms and swaying on a thin tree.

Liu Bian was instantly terrified, and he ran over quickly, shouting, "Liu Yu, come down to me!"

This sound made everyone look over.

Empress Dowager He was anxious. She slapped him on the chest and said, "Speak softly. Don't scare him."

Liu Bian didn't care at all. He just looked up and stared, his temples throbbing.

Liu Yu, who was on the top of the tree, turned around and saw Liu Bian, and was about to turn around with a smile.

Liu Bian looked at the swaying branches and felt as if he had stopped breathing. He could not help but shout loudly, "Slow down, be careful."

Under a big tree, a group of eunuchs brought quilts and other things, held them high, and walked around to meet Liu Yu.

The branch was too thin, and it kept shaking with a large amplitude. Every time Liu Yu stepped on it or grabbed it, the people below were worried and terrified.

Cai Wenji, Liu Shao, Liu Jing as well as numerous eunuchs and palace maids all came one by one.

Looking at Liu Yu on the top of the tree, Cai Wenji's face turned pale and she hurriedly grabbed Tang Ji who was crying.

"Father, it's okay."

At this time, Liu Shao whispered beside Liu Bian: "Second brother went up there before and came down safely."