12dz Chapter 270 Not Zhong Yao
Chapter 270 Not Zhong Yao
Chapter 270 Not Zhong Yao
The fourth year of Yonghan, at the end of the year.
In a short period of time, a lot of things happened in the government and the opposition.
Bian Rang was sentenced to "life imprisonment" by the Supreme Court. This was the result of the game between the court and the opposition, but it still caused a huge backlash among the scholars, and there were countless pleas and petitions.
But this did not hinder the court from moving forward with established affairs, and amid the turmoil, many matters were determined.
First, Liu Xie, as the King of Chenliu, was in charge of the Censorate, whose main task was to "supervise all officials and clarify the administration of officials."
Officials from the six ministries and nine temples in the court also took office one after another.
Zhong Yao was promoted to You Pushe, Wang Lang was transferred to Tingwei, Kong Rongsheng was appointed Taichang Temple Minister, Wu Jing was transferred to Gongcao Shangshu, Xi Zhicai took office as Yushi Cheng, and so on.
As the court continued to improve its personnel appointments, Cai Yong quietly became Taizhong Daifu, in charge of the "Dongguan Xiudian" affairs.
And more people, such as Yang Xiu being transferred to Cao Cao's army, Chen Qun being transferred to the position of Langzhong of the Criminal Department, Zhong Yu being promoted to the position of Shilang of the Military Department, etc., seem insignificant.
On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month in the fifth year of Yonghan, there was a heavy snow.
Liu Bian, wrapped in a thick cotton coat and holding an umbrella, strolled on the Imperial Street in Luoyang.
He was followed by Zhong Yao, Xun Yu, as well as a large group of people including Pan Yin, Lu Yu, Dian Wei, etc.
Liu Bian was walking on the snow, feeling particularly comfortable and refreshed. He smiled and said to Xun Yu, "Xun Yu handled the problem of the court loan very well. I am very satisfied."
Xun Yu bowed slightly but said nothing.
The court's debts that were due last year amounted to two hundred million. Xun Yu racked his brains and used various means to finally delay the payment of these debts for a few more years, thus avoiding a "credibility collapse" of the court.
Zhong Yao stood next to Xun Yu, his face serious and his brows frowned secretly.
Although the debt was delayed, it did not disappear, and as the "New Deal" progressed, without a significant increase in court taxes, the debt would only increase.
If the imperial court really cannot repay the money one day, that would be the most terrifying thing!
He is about to become the prime minister, and all these heavy responsibilities will fall on his shoulders.
Liu Bian stepped on the snow, took out a letter from his bosom, handed it to Zhong Yao, and said, "Please take a look at it."
Zhong Yao took it, looked at it carefully, and immediately asked, "Your Majesty, is Envoy Liu planning to buy Liu Zhang back?"
This letter was written by a chief clerk in the Yizhou governor's office. It was not addressed to Liu Bian, but to Liu Zhang. It was leaked "accidentally" and ended up on Liu Bian's desk.
The content of this letter roughly stated that Liu Yan knew he could not afford to rise, and he said that he would hand over all of Yizhou's surplus over the years, about 200 million, to the court to relieve the emperor's worries.
At the end, he also lamented that he was about to die and hoped to have a son to see him off.
This is not written to Liu Zhang, it is clearly written to Liu Bian!
After Xun Yu finished reading, he said, "Your Majesty, Yizhou has a surplus of two hundred million, which shows that it has great ambitions."
Liu Yan served as the governor of Yizhou for less than seven years. In Yizhou, he had a surplus of 200 million. This seemed reasonable, but in fact, in the sixth year of Zhongping, the annual tax revenue of the thirteen states of the imperial court was only about 700 million!
The fact that Liu Yan stored so much money and grain shows what he was thinking.
Liu Bian nodded slightly and said, "What do you say?"
Xun Yu looked thoughtful and said, "Your Majesty, if the court does not release Liu Zhang, I am afraid Liu Yan will have other ideas. It will be difficult for Yizhou to return to the court."
When Liu Yan was in Yizhou, he imitated the emperor, isolated himself from the main roads, and lied that he had no orders from the emperor, as if he was a country of his own.
The imperial court was helpless about this and maintained a tacit understanding with Liu Yan to maintain the status quo.
Zhong Yao felt something and said, "If we release Liu Zhang, the imperial court will have to attack Yizhou, which is a strategically important place, to recapture it. It will take who knows when."
With the current national strength of the imperial court, it is simply unable to support a massive, endless war. By the time the imperial court is able to launch a powerful conquest, the expected ten or even twenty years may not be enough.
The Han Dynasty court was too weak. There were too many bad policies and major problems that needed to be solved, and it had no energy to deal with Yizhou.
"So what do you think, should we release him or not?" Liu Bian asked.
Zhong Yao and Xun Yu looked at each other, and Zhong Yao said, "Your Majesty, I think we cannot let him go. Once Liu Yan dies, the court may try to divide and suppress Yizhou, weaken its strength, and wait for the right time."
"I second the motion." Xun Yu said.
Seeing that they had no intention of compromising, Liu Bian smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, arrange a place for Liu Zhang to live and appoint him as a doctor of the Criminal Department so that he can work with peace of mind."
"I understand." Zhong Yao raised his hand and said.
Liu Bian stepped on the snow, listening to the squeaking sound, and felt his temples tingling and extremely comfortable.
After walking for a while, he asked, "What do you think of Cao Cao?"
Cao Cao stationed his troops in Qiao County, commanding an army of 50,000 men. With an increasing number of advisers and generals under his command, he had unknowingly become the largest force in the South.
Last year, Cao Cao wrote many letters to the emperor, requesting permission to attack Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shu, and he seemed quite impatient.
Zhong Yao looked at the back of Liu Bian's head, judging the intention behind his words. After a long silence, he said, "Your Majesty, I think that the affairs in the south should be left alone. The court needs to focus on promoting the 'New Deal' and cannot divert its energy, manpower and resources."
If the imperial court intervenes in the South, it will inevitably have to invest a large amount of manpower and money and food, which the current imperial court cannot afford.
Liu Bian walked quietly on the snow for a while with an expressionless face, and then said, "Cao Cao said that he raised money and food on his own."
Zhong Yao's expression suddenly changed, and he said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not possible!"
Xun Yu immediately raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, you cannot let Cao Cao raise money and food on his own. If I want to go to war, I will contribute money and food even if I have to sell everything I have!"
Liu Bian raised his eyebrows and looked back at the two of them. Seeing that they looked serious and determined, he thought for a moment, turned around with a smile, and continued walking, saying, "I have rejected his request. Let's wait and see for now."
Liu Bian had always been wary of Cao Cao. Seeing Cao Cao growing stronger, Liu Bian was both happy and worried.
The good news is that Cao Cao and Zhong Yu have grown up and can help him pacify the troubled times and revive the Han Dynasty.
What is worrying is that people’s hearts are complicated now. Even Huangfu Song was advised by some people to establish himself. If someone whispered a few more words in Cao Cao’s ear, would Cao Cao, who has tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of troops under his command and dominates a place, really have any idea about it?
Like Dong Zhuo, Liu Yan, Yuan Shu, Huo Guang, Wang Mang, or even starting a new business?
If a certain situation really occurs, Liu Bian will really be raising a tiger to harm himself.
That would be an unprecedented enemy. Even Liu Bian, who had been emperor for five or six years, would not have the confidence to defeat him!
"People's hearts..."
Liu Bian looked at the heavy snow all over the sky, which was white everywhere, and pondered these two words in his mind.
The more he thought about it, the more horrified he felt, and he even got stuck in a dead end. Liu Bian quickly shook his head and shook off these thoughts.
This thing really cannot be scrutinized!
Zhong Yao and Xun Yu followed behind, unable to see Liu Bian's expression and unable to guess what he was thinking.
But both of them felt equally solemn.
If the South starts a war again, it will no longer be controlled by the imperial court. Perhaps the South will fall apart and form various vassal states, which is something they are extremely unwilling to see!
Zhong Yao pondered for a while, then said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I think that Cao Cao should be transferred back to the capital. The Grand Marshal has been in poor health recently and has been coughing constantly. The Grand Marshal's mansion cannot be left without a person in charge."
Upon hearing this, Liu Bian looked a little solemn.
Huangfu Song's condition worsened and he had to take leave from time to time.
Liu Bian clearly remembered that Huangfu Song's death seemed to have happened in the past one or two years.
The Grand Marshal's Mansion cannot be left empty, but it cannot be handed over to Cao Cao either.
It’s not a question of vigilance, but Cao Cao’s prestige and ability are not enough to control the situation.
Liu Bian walked slowly, thinking again and again, and said: "Let's not move for now. By the way, how is Zhu Jun's health?"
Xun Yu raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, Envoy Zhu also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, requesting to return home to take care of his family."
Zhu Jun's health was also not very good, even worse than Huangfu Song's. He was often bedridden and the affairs of Qingzhou were often delayed.
Liu Bian naturally knew this, and after thinking it over for a while, he said, "Allow it to be approved. Let him return to the capital to recuperate. The Qingzhou governor and the Shangshutai will discuss and recommend him."
Not long after Qingzhou was pacified, the Yellow Turban Army would resurface from time to time, and a man with both civil and military skills was needed to guard the city.
"Yes." Zhong Yao responded.
Liu Bian held an umbrella, feeling the coolness of the snowflakes falling on his face, until he was not far from the gate of Cai's mansion. Then he suddenly said, "The Prime Minister has asked for leave. What do you think?"
Zhong Yao remained expressionless, glancing at Xun Yu out of the corner of his eye.
Xun Yu bowed, raised his hand, and carefully selected his words, saying, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, I intend to resign and return home due to old age and frailty."
Everyone knows a lot of things, but the procedures must be followed for everyone to see.
And 'everyone' here will cooperate knowing that it is an 'open book exam'.
"Then who do you think should be the next Prime Minister?"
In the heavy snow, Liu Bian spoke lightly.
After these words were spoken, Zhong Yao and Xun Yu both changed color.
After Zhong Yao was promoted to You Pushe, both the government and the public believed that Zhong Yao would soon become the prime minister!
But from the words of His Majesty before them, they had a clear intuition that the position of Prime Minister would not belong to Zhong Yao!