novel-bin Chapter 262 Summoning
Chapter 262 Summoning
Chapter 262 Summoning
Two days later, in the rear hall of Chongde Hall.
Liu Bian reviewed memorials one by one, working intensively for two consecutive days.
As the end of the year approaches, various matters become urgent and there are more and more things that need his attention.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yu came in with a pile of memorials and placed them next to Liu Bian's desk.
Liu Bian glanced at him and asked, "What's the matter?"
Lu Yu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, it's about borrowing money. The Prime Minister and the Ministry of Revenue have been busy with this these days. So far, part of it has been repaid, and the remaining part has been agreed to be deferred."
Liu Bian's eyebrows relaxed a little, and he smiled and said, "The Prime Minister's work still makes me feel at ease."
Lu Yu stood by, head lowered, expression calm.
Liu Bian reviewed a few words and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it."
Lu Yu looked up at Liu Bian, hesitated, and said, "Your Majesty, there are some rumors circulating in the court and the country."
Liu Bian picked up the next one and asked with a smile, "What are they?"
Lu Yu hesitated even more, but still said: "Some say that Your Majesty wants to merge the Nine Ministers into the Six Departments, some say that Cao Cao will succeed as Grand Marshal, and some say that Fu Zhongcheng will be transferred to become Prime Minister..."
Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, shook his head with a smile, and said, "There are really too many smart people in Luoyang City."
Seeing that Liu Bian was not angry, Lu Yu calmed down and asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to suppress it?"
Liu Bian continued to review and said, "Never mind him. How is the investigation going at the Huangmen Beisi Prison?"
Lu Yu said: "It has not been reported yet. I heard that many people have been arrested. There was a big commotion at the Imperial College and Hongdumen College, and Mr. Bian often asked for leave."
Liu Bian glanced at the memorial in front of him, flipped through it, raised his head with some doubt, and said, "Did Bian Rang not write a letter to apologize?"
Lu Yu paused and said, "I have not seen the memorial submitted by Bian Taichang."
Liu Bian's expression moved, and then he smiled even more, saying: "This is interesting. Tell Zuo Li to investigate slowly and clean up the Imperial Academy and Hongdumen Academy for me."
Lu Yu responded, waited for a while, and said, "Your Majesty, there is still no one to take over the Sanfasi."
According to court rules, the Ministry of Justice or the Censorate should be responsible for this matter, but both agencies are obviously deliberately avoiding it.
Liu Bian looked at the memorial in his hand, thought for a while, and said, "Go, call the King of Bohai to see me."
"Yes." Lu Yu said.
Lu Yu had just stepped back a few steps when Pan Yin quickly came in and handed over a memorial.
Liu Bian reached out to take it, opened it and took a look, a strange look on his face.
In this memorial from Zhu Jun, the governor of Qingzhou, he recommended Kong Rong, the prime minister of Beihai, to the court.
Kong Rong was also a famous writer of his time and had a significant influence in the literary world.
After a moment's silence, Liu Bian said, "Let them go for now and bring Wang Lang and Xi Zhicai to see me."
Pan Yin responded, turned around and saw Lu Yu still at the door, and said, "Your Majesty, is the King of Bohai coming with you?"
Liu Bian reviewed it casually, writing non-stop, and said, "Yes. By the way, send an order to Jiangdong, Wu Jing to bring Sun Ce and Zhou Yu to the capital."
"Yes." Pan Yin responded and slowly retreated.
Liu Bian continued to review these matters. Although these matters, big and small, were complicated, they were not difficult to handle with the opinions of the Six Caos and Yang Biao.
After a while, Liu Xie came to the outside of the rear hall from the Censorate.
Lu Yu stood outside the door and raised his hand to Liu Xie, saying, "Meet the King of Bohai."
Liu Xie was about the same age as Lu Yu. He nodded, stretched his head to look inside, and whispered, "Is there something your majesty wants to summon me for?"
Lu Yu said, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. His Majesty has also summoned Censor Xi and Minister Wang."
Liu Xie's heart was slightly moved, but he was silent for a moment, and then he said, "I heard that the Grand Marshal wants to summon all the generals to the capital to discuss matters?"
Lu Yu looked at Liu Xie with a calm expression and said, "I don't know."
Liu Xie really wanted to ask about the Hongdu School, but after hesitating for a long time, he sighed and did not ask.
The struggle for the throne in the early years was a thorn in the hearts of everyone in the court and the country.
Liu Xie has kept a low profile in recent years, and Empress Dowager Dong has stayed at home, so the various impeachment voices have gradually subsided. But this does not mean that the palace has really let go of the "grudge".
If Liu Xie made a mistake, doing one more thing or saying one more word could lead to his own death!
As the son of the late emperor and the younger brother of the current emperor, he wanted to do something but had many concerns when he saw the Han Dynasty in turmoil.
Lu Yu just bowed and stood aside, with no intention of chatting with Liu Xie.
Lu Yu is thirteen years old this year. He has no official position in the palace, but he plays the role of "palace guard", shuttling between the Shangshu Terrace and Chongde Hall.
After a while, Xi Zhicai and Wang Lang arrived.
Seeing that Liu Xie was already waiting, he was slightly startled, wondering why the palace suddenly summoned the three of them at the same time.
"They're all here."
At this time, Liu Bian, dressed in casual clothes, came out and smiled at the three people.
"Your Majesty, we are here to pay our respects." The three of them raised their hands in salute.
"No need to be polite." Liu Bian waved his hand, walked out, stood in front of the steps, looked at the somewhat dim sky, and said: "It looks like it's going to snow again."
Liu Xie, Xi Zhicai, Wang Lang and Lu Yu all turned around, stood behind Liu Bian, and looked at the sky.
Everyone in the court and the public knows that the current emperor loves snow very much. Whenever it snows, he likes to walk in the snow with an umbrella.
He just likes to stroll in the snow. Unlike those who love snow, drinking tea, wine, writing poems and essays, his love for it is very simple.
Liu Bian stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the sky, and remained silent for a long time.
After a long while, Liu Xie and the others looked at each other, and Liu Xie raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, you summoned me here, but do you have any instructions?"
Liu Bian looked back at them and said with a smile: "Wait, Shao'er is on his way."
Everyone was stunned again, and murmurings began to arise in their hearts.
Is today's incident related to His Highness?
Perhaps they thought of something, the expressions of several people suddenly changed, and they frowned secretly.
Soon, Cai Wenji came with Liu Shao.
The little guy is already three years old. He is pretty, fair and tender, with clear eyes, and is very pleasing to the eye.
But unlike his naughty brother Liu Yu, Liu Shao didn't seem to like talking much and was mostly silent.
Cai Wenji looked much more plump than before. She came closer and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I greet you."
"Your Majesty, your son pays his respects." Liu Shao greeted politely, and his little appearance was very cute.
Liu Bian walked over, picked him up, patted the dust off his body, and said, "Where did you come from, covered in dirt?"
Liu Shao looked at Liu Bian, blinked, and said nothing.
Cai Wenji stood aside and said softly, "I accidentally fell on the road."
Liu Bian could tell that this was not caused by a fall. He immediately understood and said with a smile, "Be more careful next time. Let's go and take a walk with father to Fanglin Garden."
The little guy was very well-behaved. He said nothing and held Liu Bian's arms with both hands.
Liu Xie, Xi Zhicai, and Wang Lang looked at the family of three and had a bad feeling in their hearts.
The issue of "establishing an heir" has always been a major concern of the government and the public, but because of Wang Yun's incident, few people dared to bring it up.
But not mentioning it does not mean that the government and the opposition do not care or have given up.
Once there is any sign of trouble, the issue of "establishing an heir" will become a hot topic and overshadow all other matters, big or small!
Liu Bian held Liu Shao in his arms and said to Cai Wenji, "I heard that the father-in-law has returned to the capital?"
Cai Wenji pursed her lips and lowered her head cautiously, saying, "Yes. My father is not feeling well, and I want him to stay in the capital to recuperate instead of going out to study."
Liu Bian nodded indifferently and said, "Let's have a family dinner in a few days, and I will have a good chat with the father-in-law."
Cai Wenji breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will make the arrangements."
Because Cai Yong was involved in Wang Yun's plot to take over the crown prince, he was dismissed from all his official positions and driven out of Luoyang.
Liu Xie, Xi Zhicai and Wang Lang listened and could not help but look at each other, then quickly ran away, with a quick change of mind in their minds.
Regarding the "crown prince", the attitudes of the government and the public were basically the same, and that was Liu Shao.
Not only is he the eldest son, but his mother's family is also from a prominent aristocratic family, which makes him the perfect match.
As Liu Bian and Cai Wenji were talking, they soon arrived at Fanglin Garden.
We sat down in a pavilion, where the prayer mat and cushions had already been set up.
Liu Bian put Liu Shao down and asked him to sit beside him. Then he smiled and said to Liu Xie and the others, "Please sit down. I have something to discuss with you today."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." After Liu Xie, Xi Zhicai, and Wang Lang bowed, they sat opposite Liu Bian.
Cai Wenji sat next to Liu Bian and wanted to make tea, but Liu Bian got there first.
Liu Bian fiddled with the tea set and got straight to the point: "The matter of Hongdu School has not yet been resolved. But the three judicial officials are passing the buck to each other. What do you think?"
Liu Xie was "hearing government affairs" at the Censorate. Fu Wan, the Chief Censor, was also his father-in-law. Hearing this, his expression froze slightly and he said, "Your Majesty, hasn't the Yellow Gate Beisi Prison taken over this matter?"
Liu Bian ignored him and said, "Xi Zhicai, you go ahead."
Xi Zhicai looked a little pale and sickly. He raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, I think the three judicial departments should jointly investigate this matter."
Liu Bian looked up at him and said, "That makes sense. Why didn't you mention it?"
Xi Zhicai paused, then raised his hand and continued, "My position is low and my words have little weight, and I was not present."
Liu Bian groaned and said, "Then, I will appoint you as the Imperial Censor in the Palace and make you the Chief of the Palace Court."
Not only Xi Zhicai was stunned, but Liu Xie and Wang Lang also looked surprised.
It’s that simple. Xi Zhicai jumped two levels and became the Palace Censor?
"I obey your order and thank you." Xi Zhicai reacted quickly.
Liu Bian hummed, continued to fiddle with the tea set, and said, "Regarding the Censorate, many people have written to the court, saying that it is too troublesome for the Censorate to handle affairs in the palace, and requested to move it outside the palace. What do you think?"
Xi Zhicai's mood had not yet calmed down, and he glanced at Liu Xie with a calm look on his face.
Liu Xie was silent for a moment, then said, "I will obey your order."
cuckoo
The teapot made a slight sound and bursts of white steam came out quickly.
Liu Bian looked at the teapot and said, "Since you have no objection, then it's settled. Before the end of the year, we will move to the vicinity of the Criminal Law Office and the Supreme Court. The three judicial offices will be together, and the efficiency will be much higher."
"I accept your order." Liu Xie raised his hand and said. He didn't really care about this. Whether the Censorate was inside or outside the palace, it was still the Censorate. There was no change.
"Mr. Wang, I heard that you got married recently?" Liu Bian glanced at Wang Lang and said with a smile.
Wang Lang did not expect Liu Bian to care about such a thing. He raised his hand and said calmly, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is the matchmaker."
Liu Bian nodded and asked, "What do you think of Chen Qun?"
Chen Qun had been in the Supreme Court for three or four years, and was mainly responsible for revising the New Han Code. However, many of his views were criticized by both the court and the public. Even Zhong Yao remained silent, while Wang Lang even criticized him publicly.
This directly caused Chen Qun's reputation to be damaged and his career to be hindered.
After getting drunk, Chen Qun cursed Wang Lang as "treacherous, flattering, cunning and cold-blooded", and even wrote a letter to resign from his post.
Wang Lang didn't know why Liu Bian suddenly mentioned Chen Qun, so he pretended to be thoughtful and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, he is talented and full of youthful vigor."
Chen Qun was born into the Chen family of Yingchuan. He had been famous for his talent since he was young. On his way to Luoyang, he visited various famous scholars, debated scriptures and gave lectures, leaving many people speechless and praising his "talent to assist the king."
Chen Qun was not idle in Luoyang either, looking for people to "compete" with everywhere, causing many people to deliberately avoid him.
Liu Bian nodded after hearing this comment and said, "What do you think of the 'Nine-Rank System' he wrote?"
Wang Lang looked serious, thought carefully again and again, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I think this matter should be delayed."
The "Nine-Rank System" was something Chen Qun had been planning for many years. After Zhong Yao, Xun Yu and others had improved it many times, he finally submitted it to the emperor, but it was kept by Liu Bian.
Although it was kept in China, the news had already spread throughout the court and the public, and there was a lot of discussion about it, with the opposition clearly outweighing the support.
The most fundamental reason is that the imperial court's control over the local areas is too weak. It is still okay in Luoyang, but when it comes to the local areas, it is easy to cause unrest.
Liu Bian picked up the bubbling teapot and began to pour tea. He asked, "What do you think of Zhong Qing's cooking?"
Liu Xie, Xi Zhicai's heart suddenly skipped a beat and he looked at Liu Bian in surprise.
What does this mean? Zhong Yao, did you commit any crime?
Wang Lang was also shocked, but he was not a member of the Yingchuan Party, so he was much calmer. He pretended to think for a while and said, "Your Majesty, Zhong Tingwei is very talented, hardworking and has made great contributions to the court."
Liu Bian smiled and put down the teapot, picked up the teacup and handed it to Wang Lang, saying, "It's rare that your family has such a fair mind."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wang Lang quickly took it with both hands and said respectfully.
Although the Yingchuan Party was the dominant party in the court, Yang Biao, as the prime minister, had many supporters, so open and covert struggles were inevitable.
Liu Bian picked up the teacup and handed it to Liu Xie, saying, "Go and talk to Fu Qing's family. Be careful and don't hide when something happens."
Liu Xie's scalp tingled. He took it with both hands and said as calmly as possible, "I accept your order."
Liu Bian picked up the teacup and handed it to Xi Zhicai, saying with a smile: "The Imperial Censor in the Palace is not only responsible for inspecting official ceremonies, but the Imperial Censor who patrols the city is also responsible for checking the city of Luoyang. The incidents at the Imperial Academy and Hongdumen Academy must not happen again."
Xi Zhicai looked at Liu Bian's refreshing smile, and his heart felt cold. He took the teacup with both hands and said, "I obey your order."
Liu Bian smiled at the three people and said, "Why don't you move? Try to taste my tea-making skills to see if they have improved."
The three of them subconsciously looked at the scalding hot teacup in front of them, hesitated for a moment, blew gently, pursed their lips and tasted a little.
"Wang Qing's house,"
Without waiting for the three to express their opinions, Liu Bian said, "You take the imperial seal and go to Xiliang to tell the three Qiang that if they want to submit, they must give up their military power."
Wang Lang quickly put down his teacup and said, "I obey your order."
But I was full of doubts. Wasn't Zhong Yao always in charge of this?
Could it be that something really happened to Zhong Yao?
Moreover, I entered the palace today just for these things?