novel-bin Chapter 39: Poor picture
Chapter 39: Poor picture
Chapter 39
Yuan Wei pretended to be silent for a while, then slowly said: "Your Majesty, the Three Dukes' Mansion is a custom of our Great Han Dynasty. If it is abolished without reason, I am afraid it will cause alarm in the court and the country."
The three dukes' offices are the Sikong, Situ and Taiwei offices, which evolved from the division of the power of the prime minister. Now, the three dukes have basically become a nominal position, unless one is appointed as the 'recorder of Shangshu' and enters the Shangshutai to become the prime minister.
Liu Bian looked at him and said, "I have read in the Records of the Grand Historian that during the reign of Emperor Wu, the number of officials was half of that of this dynasty."
Yuan Wei was a little surprised. He originally thought that Liu Bian was just pretending to read, but he actually saw something.
"His Majesty,"
Yuan Wei said: "It has been more than 200 years since the reign of Emperor Wu, and the situation has changed drastically. If Your Majesty feels that the Three Dukes' Offices are indeed inefficient, you can transfer them as appropriate, and there is no need to abolish them."
Liu Bian looked thoughtful and said, "Reassign as appropriate? I also want to adjust the Shangshutai. I plan to make it independent and no longer under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu. What do you think?"
The Shangshu Tai was under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu and was located in the Forbidden Palace, next to the Jiade Hall. Starting from Emperor Guangwu, it was an institution directly under the emperor and did not belong to the imperial court.
But with the development of the Secretariat, it has become the core of the court, and the prime minister has become the "recorder of the Secretariat", which is really a bit unjust and unreasonable.
Yuan Wei listened with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
This young emperor has already thought so much? Shouldn't he be busy fighting for power with He Jin?
He was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, the Shangshutai is a matter of great importance, involving the government and the people, as well as the local officials. If it is easily touched, there may be unexpected changes."
"Drink tea,"
Liu Bian picked up the teacup, took a sip, and asked, "What about the Nine Ministers?"
Yuan Wei bowed, looking thoughtful, but did not reach for the teacup.
"So he has already thought about cutting down the number of officials, in order to save money and grain?"
He thought to himself and said, "Your Majesty, the Nine Ministers are indeed somewhat redundant, and you can streamline them as appropriate."
Seeing that Yuan Wei finally gave in, Liu Bian smiled and said, "Okay. Then you should write a memorial tomorrow and I will take a look... No need for tomorrow, let's do it now. Someone, prepare writing materials for Yuan Qing."
The Zhonghuangmen behind him responded and turned around to prepare.
Yuan Wei bowed his head, feeling deeply puzzled and increasingly suspicious.
From summoning him into the palace late at night to asking him to write a memorial in person, plus the imperial guards on high alert everywhere, all signs indicate that this young emperor seems to be planning something!
"Are you stalling for time?"
Yuan Wei said to himself, now all power is in He Jin's hands, and the Secretariat is where He Jin has the final say. He has no power or influence, so what is the point of keeping him here?
The pen and ink were brought soon. Yuan Wei picked up the pen without hesitation, paused, and began to write on the silk.
For him, writing such a memorial did not require any preparation in mind, he could just write it out naturally.
But he still chose his words carefully, and each one seemed upright and meaningful, but in fact was ambiguous and lacked attitude.
Liu Bian watched him write, his expression unchanged, and estimated the time in his mind.
It takes about three hours to travel the thirty miles to the capital, which is almost dawn.
"You guys write first, I'm going to the toilet." Liu Bian said, then got up and left.
Yuan Wei quickly put down his pen and respectfully saw Liu Bian off.
After Liu Bian's back disappeared in the darkness, he slowly sat down, holding a pen, pretending to ponder, but his heart became more and more uneasy.
Liu Bian walked a distance away, called over a eunuch, and asked, "Where is the Grand Chamberlain?"
The eunuch said, "Your Majesty, the Grand Chamberlain has gone to Chongde Hall, and General Cao is there."
Liu Bian looked towards the south, which was completely dark with few lights. He said, "Tell him to send guards to secretly monitor the General's Mansion, the Three Dukes' Mansion, and Yuan's Mansion. If there is any unusual movement, report it to me immediately!"
"Yes." The eunuch responded and left quickly.
Liu Bian straightened his clothes, turned around and went back to the pavilion.
Yuan Wei stood up, handed over the silk and said, "Your Majesty, please take a look."
Liu Bian smiled and said, "This is my home and yours, no need to be polite, just sit down."
As he said this, he took it, sat down, and looked at it in the light.
Until the end, Liu Bian curled his lips inwardly, thinking that this guy was indeed a wily old fox.
But he had a big smile on his face. He put the paper on the table into the silk cloth, folded it on the table, and said, "Well, let's talk about the empty Sili and the lack of soldiers to guard Luoyang. The Northern Army, the Southern Army, and the Western Garden are all unable to defend Luoyang. What do you think should be done?"
Knowing that Liu Bian was deliberately delaying time, Yuan Wei could do nothing about it. He was confused, but not too worried, because he believed that the Yuan family had no leverage and was not worth Liu Bian's effort to deal with.
After all, there is He Jin in front of him.
After Yuan Wei sat down, he thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, if you want to restore the Northern Army, you need to recruit young and strong people and train them strictly. As the saying goes, it takes a thousand days to raise an army and a day to use it. From money, food and equipment to recruitment and training, it is not a one-day job, so we should take a long-term view."
Liu Bian nodded and said, "I know this, but the troops of the Three Qins cannot be moved, and no other troops can be sent in. The Yellow Turban rebellion is becoming more and more rampant, and the areas surrounding the capital must be extremely cautious."
Yuan Wei didn't expect that Liu Bian had already considered so much, and he had a new understanding of the young emperor in his heart.
Yuan Wei thought about it seriously and said, "Your Majesty, if Bingzhou, Liangzhou, Jizhou, and Qingzhou each send 2,000 people to the capital, maybe we can do it."
Liu Bian did not trust Yuan Wei, and naturally did not trust his advice. He smiled and said, "The situation in these places is already serious, and we cannot move for the time being. I sent General Lu to Chang'an, and it is expected that he will recruit 30,000 people. Marquis Xixiang will go to Qingzhou, and it is expected that he will also have 30,000 people. The total number is 60,000, plus the 30,000 from the Three Qins and the 10,000 from Luoyang. Can a hundred thousand troops keep Luoyang safe?"
Yuan Wei's expression remained unchanged, but he was extremely shocked in his heart.
He only found out not long ago that Lu Zhi went to Chang'an, but he had no idea that Xixiang Hou Zhu Jun went to Qingzhou!
The General's Mansion was filled with people from the Yuan family, and he didn't know, which meant that He Jin didn't know either!
What a good idea!
In such a chaotic and crisis-ridden situation, this young emperor who had just ascended the throne actually had such a way to conceal the truth!
"No wonder he has been silent in the palace these days, allowing He Jin to win the hearts of the people and take control of the world... It turns out that he has secretly arranged such a plan, a hundred thousand troops..."
Yuan Wei was an experienced official, and a very shrewd man. Even though he was shocked in his heart, he did not show it on his face.
Immediately, he realized another problem. These were the young emperor's secrets, and they were extremely important. Why tell him!?
Yuan Wei became more and more suspicious about the fact that he was summoned to the palace tonight.
Holding his breath secretly, Yuan Wei said, "Your Majesty, if there are 100,000 troops around Sili, it will be safe. However, I am afraid that the court cannot afford the money and food expenses for 100,000 troops."
For an army of 100,000, food, drink, and toilet expenses all cost money. Liu Bian knew this very well and smiled, "Let's not talk about these for now. What I want to ask is, if we expand the Yulin Army, is it feasible?"
'Expand the Yulin Army?'
Yuan Wei frowned and remained silent in thought.
The Yulin Army was under the control of He Jin. If one wanted to expand the Yulin Army, it would be tantamount to depriving He Jin of his military power.
This is the foundation of He Jin's life, how could he let it go so easily! ?
"Is he going to attack He Jin?"
Yuan Wei suddenly became alert and looked straight at Liu Bian.
The Yuan family had too close a relationship with He Jin. Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao were both under He Jin's command, and they had no time to break away from him!
Diao Chan waves her handkerchief: Thanks to the bosses of "Shuiyue Wujian" and "Yizhiduxiu Yatianxia" for the reward, the bosses are generous~