Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 8 The Ministers' Doubts

Dong Zhong was stunned for a moment, then he understood, knelt down and said, "I am loyal to Your Majesty, and heaven and earth can bear witness to this!"

Liu Bian sat up straight, took the teacup handed to him by Pan Yin, blew on the tea, and said, "I remember that my grandmother was born in a foreign country and is not suitable to stay in the palace. You go to see my grandmother and ask her to move to Hejian."

Dong Chong's face suddenly changed. He was the nephew of Empress Dowager Dong. He was dependent on Empress Dowager Dong for his current situation. If Empress Dowager Dong was exiled to Hejian, he would be without support!

Liu Bian drank a sip of tea, without even looking at him, and said in a dull tone: "Why are you silent? Are you having any difficulties?"

"No problem! Your Majesty, I will go right away!"

As soon as Liu Bian finished speaking, Dong Zhong said anxiously. Then he stood up and walked out quickly.

He understood clearly that if he did not go, or failed to persuade Queen Mother Dong to go to Hejian, he would lose his position as General of Cavalry!

After Liu Bian sent Dong Zhong away, he could finally have some peace and quiet for a while.

He lay in the chair, closed his eyes, breathed rhythmically, and slowly relaxed.

At this time, in the General’s Mansion.

In the back hall, He Jin sat facing south, his hands on his knees, his face full of fat, his eyes wide open, staring straight at the people in front of him, looking very ferocious.

The three ministers, Shangshu Wang Yun, Zhubu Chen Lin and others are here.

Because of this "True King Elimination of Evils" campaign, many people are still in various troubles, so it is a little quieter than usual.

Taiwei Liu Yu was somewhat discouraged and sighed, "We must eradicate all evil. If we leave Jian Shuo here today, I'm afraid he will cause more trouble in the future."

Sikong Liu Hong shook his head and said disapprovingly: "The Twelve Eunuchs have basically been eliminated. I'm sure Jian Shuo won't dare to do evil anymore."

Si Tu Ding Gong was even more pessimistic. He said, "Since Emperor Huan, after the Party Ban, the eunuchs have been interfering in government affairs for decades. Even if we kill the Twelve Eunuchs this time, there will be new Twelve Eunuchs. We can't kill them all, and we can't drive them all away. What can we do..."

Wang Yun looked thoughtful and did not interrupt.

Chen Lin said, "The general and you gentlemen are using thunderous means today. The most important purpose is to correct the emperor. Now that the prince has ascended the throne, it is the greatest achievement! Although Jian Shuo escaped, your majesty is the general's nephew, and the queen mother is the general's sister. Everyone in and outside the palace must rely on the general. A mere Jian Shuo can be destroyed in a short time. The three ministers should not worry."

He Jin, who had been sullen all the time, relaxed a little after listening to Chen Lin's words.

He Jin looked at Liu Yu and asked, "Bo'an, what do you say?"

Bo'an is Liu Yu's courtesy name.

Liu Yu sighed and said, "To be honest with you, General, after this incident, I want to resign and return home."

Since the Party Ban, the Three Dukes have been replaced more and more frequently, especially after the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when the Three Dukes were replaced so many times.

He Jin snorted and said unhappily, "We'll discuss this later. I'm talking about Your Majesty. What do you think of today's incident?"

Liu Yu seemed to be alert in an instant, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty... has always been timid. Everything in Deyang Palace seems to be instigated by someone, but it also seems not to be. You acted clearly and logically, as if you had planned it in advance, not like an emergency reaction."

Not to mention a prince who was just in his teens and had just ascended the throne, even if it was Emperor Ling, it would be impossible for him to handle the matter so decisively and without panic.

Palace Master Ding looked at Liu Yu and said, "I had this thought before, but we all know the people in the palace. Who could have instigated His Majesty to do this? If not, then... could it be that His Majesty has been keeping a low profile to avoid disaster?"

Ding Gong stopped talking here and looked at He Jin.

He Jin knew his nephew Liu Bian too well, but thinking about Liu Bian's previous performance, he couldn't help but doubt it and said, "The late emperor has always liked Prince Xie, and it is not the first time that he has suggested abolishing the legitimate heir and enthroning the youngest one. If Your Majesty is dormant because of this, it is not impossible..."

For a moment, there was a strange exchange of glances in the back hall.

They were deeply puzzled by the new emperor's unexpected reaction today. Although they managed to find this reason, they still found it difficult to accept it for a while.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Yun suddenly said, "General, your Majesty's affairs can be put aside for now. The most important thing right now is to rescue Yuan Shao."

When Yuan Shao was mentioned, everyone's expressions turned solemn. They were all thinking about something and no one spoke.

Yuan Shao was one of the Eight Commandants of Xiyuan and was originally under the command of Jian Shuo. After the death of Emperor Ling, under the order of He Jin, he led his troops into the palace, from north to south, and killed his way through the North Palace, all the way to the deepest part of the Forbidden Palace, in front of Liu Bian.

Which emperor would not be afraid of such behavior, especially on the first day of his reign!

But Yuan Shao was following the orders of He Jin. In addition to Cao Cao, one of the Eight Commandants of the Western Garden, Chunyu Qiong and others, the Three Dukes, and many high-ranking court officials such as Wang Yun were present. It can be said that "killing the Twelve Eunuchs" was the collective will of the civil service group headed by relatives of the emperor.

Once Yuan Shao is convicted, these people will not be able to get away with it!

The Party and Faction Persecution is not far away. If it happens again, no one can accept it!

Hundreds of officials of all ranks in the imperial court were arrested, and thousands of people were banned from entering officialdom. Most of them were from prominent families and high-ranking officials. This could not happen again. No one present could allow the Party Persecution to happen a third time!

He Jin looked at the people in front of him, his eyes widened, and then he looked at Chen Lin and said, "Kong Zhang, what do you have to say?"

Kong Zhang, the nickname of Chen Lin.

Chen Lin had already prepared a plan, and said bluntly: "General, from your humble opinion, Your Majesty has no intention of accusing Yuan Shao."

He Jin's face twitched and he asked, "What do you mean?"

The three ministers and Wang Yun all looked at Chen Lin. After all, Liu Bian had already issued an imperial decree to put him in prison and punish him severely.

Chen Lin smiled confidently and said, "If Your Majesty really wants to punish Yuan Chu, then why did you order his uncle Yuan Gong to record the affairs of the Shangshu? Yuan Shao's crime has brought disaster to three clans, and Yuan Gong must be involved. How could Your Majesty not know that?"

He Jin's expression was greatly excited, and the flesh on his face twitched, looking very fierce. He smiled and said, "Kong Zhang's words are very much in line with what I think! Then, what should we do next?"

Chen Lin said nothing but turned to look at San Gong.

Ding Gong, Liu Hong and Liu Yu were startled when they saw him looking at them. They looked at each other with confusion on their faces.

Wang Yun seemed to be thinking about something, and then he said, "The soldiers entered the forbidden palace, which was a great act of treason. Your Majesty was so frightened that he probably didn't think of how to deal with it properly for a while. He just imprisoned Yuan Shao in a panic."

He Jin, Ding Gong and others thought it made sense, but how could they rescue Yuan Shao? Or, how could they get them out! ?

He Jin's eyes moved around among the people, and finally landed on Chen Lin. He said, "Kong Zhang."

Chen Lin raised his hand and said, "General, this matter is neither difficult nor easy. First, all the ministers should present a congratulatory memorial to congratulate Your Majesty on his ascension to the throne. Second, the Yuan family has three dukes in four generations, and two of them are still alive. They are a model of aristocratic families, and the court should highlight them. Third, and most importantly, Your Majesty is already fourteen years old and is elected as a concubine. Isn't the young lady of the Yuan family the most suitable? These three happy events should be enough to dilute the fear in Your Majesty's heart. At that time, the general will persuade the Queen Mother, and then use the relationship between uncle and nephew and the merits of the emperor to move her with emotion and reason. How can it be difficult to resolve it?"

The fat on He Jin's face twitched. He felt that doing this would take too much effort and involve too many twists and turns.

But in front of so many people, he couldn't say much, so he smiled and said: "Kong Zhang's words are very much in line with my heart. Let's do this!"