With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Zhuge Liang truthfully informed Liu Xie of this matter, and Liu Xie listened quietly, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He knew that the rain came just in time, temporarily dampening the arrogance of these people.

Weren't they all supposed to risk their lives to offer advice? A heavy rain has exposed their true colors, leaving them looking so pathetic.

After a brief but heartwarming reunion with his wife and children, Liu Xie once again looked firmly into the distance, his heart filled with the idea of ​​restarting the Silk Road.

Liu Xie knew that the interruption of the Silk Road was not only a stagnation of trade, but also a weakening of the Han Dynasty's influence in the Western Regions, and a major loss to the country's prosperity and stability.

For a country to prosper, its economic channels must be opened up as soon as possible!
From individuals to nations, making money is the most important thing!
He soon summoned his ministers for a meeting. The ministers all thought that the emperor would mention Cao Cao's reform of the aristocratic families. However, when Liu Xie opened his mouth, everyone was stunned.

"Now that the country is at peace, my next step is to focus on the Western Regions and restart the Silk Road!"

The courtiers were stunned. This news was completely unexpected. Everyone had clearly pointed their fingers at Cao Cao, but now the emperor said that the country was stable and that they should shift their focus to the Western Regions.

Cui Jun and the others exchanged glances and quickly reached an agreement. Cui Jun stepped forward again.

"Your Majesty, although the separatist regimes in various parts of the country have been quelled, the Prime Minister's overly extreme reforms have caused unrest among the people in various regions. How can Your Majesty say that the country is at peace?"

"Oh?"

Seeing that Cui Jun was fixated on this matter and even tried to obstruct his plan to restart the Silk Road, Liu Xie was greatly dissatisfied.

He glanced at Cui Jun expressionlessly and said, "Since that's the case, I'll hand the Prime Minister over to you to deal with. What do you think?"

Liu Xie thought to himself, "Aren't you always keeping an eye on Cao Cao? Fine, I'll give you that chance."

This startled Cui Jun. He was willing to offer advice, and taking the lead in giving suggestions was fine, but to ask him to deal with Cao Cao was something he wouldn't dare to do even if he had ten times the courage.

Cao Cao was the prime minister, second only to the emperor. With just a spit from each of Cao Cao's soldiers, Cui Jun could be drowned.

Cui Jun turned pale with fright and quickly shook his head, "I am but a humble subject with little ability and shallow knowledge, and I am absolutely unfit to shoulder this heavy responsibility."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Liu Xie's eyes. Then, he looked at Zhong Yao and said, "Minister Zhong, how about I entrust this matter to you?"

Zhong Yao was also somewhat flustered and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I am also unable to perform this task."

Liu Xie said sarcastically, "You insisted on advising me to handle this matter, but now that I have entrusted it to you, you all refuse. What is the meaning of this?"

When they offered their advice, they were all passionate and seemed quite convincing, but when it came to actually doing it, they all became timid and hesitant, none of them willing to provoke Cao Cao.

Liu Xie's gaze swept over the crowd, especially those who had been actively offering advice earlier. No matter who he looked at, they quickly lowered their heads, not daring to meet the emperor's eyes.

These people were all shrewd and none of them wanted to step forward to deal with Cao Cao. They lacked the courage and were unsure of what crime to charge him with.

If the crime is too light, it will not meet their purpose; if the crime is too heavy, they fear Cao Cao's retaliation.

In short, they preferred that the emperor deal with Cao Cao personally. To put it bluntly, the ministers had also learned to shift the blame onto the emperor.

"Let's discuss this another day." Liu Xie wanted to suppress the matter and delay it, so that the officials' reactions gradually became less intense.

However, the courtiers objected.

"Your Majesty is benevolent and loves the people. How can you tolerate the Prime Minister's brutal reform of the officialdom? So many innocent people have lost their lives. The powerful families are the foundation of the country, yet the Prime Minister has repeatedly wielded the butcher's knife, indiscriminately killing innocent people. Your Majesty, even if the Prime Minister has made contributions in the past, you cannot continue to tolerate him."

Cui Jun knelt on the ground again. This matter involved everyone's common interests, and in a flash, the ministers followed suit. Before long, the hall was filled with kneeling people.

Liu Xie's temper was also provoked, and he really wanted to curse.

Liu Xie angrily flung his sleeves, turned around, and left.

Once again, the courtiers were left standing there, and although they no longer had to worry about getting wet in the rain, kneeling for so long was still an unpleasant experience.

Cui Jun, Zhong Yao, and the others gritted their teeth and knelt there, displaying great loyalty and righteousness.

Liu Xie then summoned Jia Xu and Xun Yu to discuss countermeasures in a side hall.

Liu Xie said angrily, "Tell me, why are the ministers pressuring us like this? It's clear they're determined to wear me down and make me give them a result."

Xun Yu sighed, his voice full of worry, and said, "I'm afraid this matter will be difficult to resolve amicably, Your Majesty. You can't just walk away every time. This kind of procrastination is not a solution either."

Liu Xie said somewhat angrily, "What else can I do? Today in court, I said I would hand it over to Cui Jun and Zhong Yao, but they refused to accept it. They are only responsible for advising, but they want me to do this thing that offends people."

Liu Xie looked at Jia Xu and asked, "Wenhe, do you have any ideas?"

Jia Xu squinted, pondered for a while, and said, "They have done a very clever job this time. They are clearly united because they are worried about the interests of their own families and out of selfishness. However, they use His Majesty's benevolence as an excuse to ask His Majesty to punish Cao Cao's tyranny. I think it would be better to do as they wish."

"Wenhe, do you also want me to deal with Cao Cao?" Liu Xie was somewhat disappointed. He had asked you to come up with a suggestion, but instead you made things worse.

Xun Yu also looked at Jia Xu with a puzzled expression. He didn't believe that Jia Xu would speak so recklessly; he must have his reasons.

Sure enough, Jia Xu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, since the ministers are determined to obstruct the rectification and demand that Cao Cao be severely punished, if you try to downplay the matter, they will only continue to hold on to it. It would be better to do the opposite and directly order a thorough investigation and punishment. In this way, the ministers' wishes will be fulfilled, and they will stop causing trouble for Your Majesty."

Liu Xie was both amused and exasperated. "Wenhe, isn't this the same as saying nothing at all?"

Jia Xu shook his head. “Your Majesty, I haven’t finished speaking yet. Your Majesty can entrust this matter to a trustworthy person. On the one hand, announce a high-profile and severe punishment for Cao Cao, and on the other hand, delay the time and actively gather evidence favorable to Cao Cao. I believe this matter is not difficult to handle. Your Majesty can have Cao Cao distribute land in various places. People will praise it, and there will definitely be a lot of evidence favorable to Cao Cao.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Xie's eyes lit up. "Excellent! As expected of Jia Xu, this is indeed a brilliant plan."

Jia Xu remained remarkably calm throughout, and added, "Furthermore, to completely silence their objections, Your Majesty might consider selecting a few more representatives from among them to join in the trial." (End of Chapter)