Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 89 Kill without mercy

Runan County Prefecture.

Governor Wang Kuang was tied to the ground, his face stern as he glared at Cao Cao and cursed, "Cao Cao, you slaughtered the nobles of Runan today, and you will be shattered to pieces tomorrow!"

Cao Cao, sitting in the position of the governor, looked at him and said, "Poor thing."

Wang Kuang straightened his neck and said, "I am not afraid of life or death, so why should I be pitied?"

Cao Cao laughed and said, "The Yuan family has been executed. You are like a dog that has lost its home. You bark mournfully. Isn't it pitiful?"

"You!" Wang Kuang was furious.

Xiahou Dun came in at this time and said, "Meng De, everything is ready."

Cao Cao stood up and said, "Pack up Governor Wang and send him to Luoyang."

Xiahou Dun waved his hand, and several soldiers rushed in and dragged Wang Kuang out.

When Wang Kuang saw that Cao Cao did not kill him, his expression relaxed and he swallowed the curse he had prepared.

As soon as Wang Kuang left, Xiahou Dun said dissatisfiedly: "Meng De, you have accepted Xu Ziyuan, but you still want me to send troops to escort him back home. This man is greedy for money and lustful, forgets righteousness when he sees profit, and is a mean person. Meng De, why do you think so highly of him?"

Cao Cao looked outside with an expressionless face, and said leisurely: "If I can become the General of the Western Expedition someday, and establish a government office, I will definitely need someone with wisdom and strategy."

Xiahou Dun was stunned for a moment, then he understood.

Cao Cao's background made scholars despise him, and before he achieved success, not many people were willing to serve as his staff.

This is a catch-all.

As for Xu You, even though he accepted the valuable gift, he still had to wait until Cao Cao became powerful.

"Withdraw the troops and return to Nanyang."

Cao Cao didn't care about the money and walked out after he finished speaking.

……

Luoyang Imperial Palace.

As the sky brightened, Liu Bian woke up covered in sweat.

He felt very tired all over, but his mental state was particularly good and he was clearer than ever before.

In the study, Liu Bian was wrapped in a blanket, drinking hot tea, and listening to Zuo Li talking about things inside and outside the palace.

Zuo Li stood not far away respectfully, and said carefully, "Your Majesty, the Shangshutai arrested a total of 73 people from the Yuan family, and they are all locked up in the Tingwei Mansion. I have arrested 16 people and locked them up in the Huangmen Beisi Prison."

Seeing that Liu Bian did not speak, Zuo Li continued, "The prince was very dissatisfied with this and asked the Supreme Court to continue the arrest. The Supreme Court shirked its responsibility by saying that there was no evidence."

Hearing this, Liu Bian took a sip of tea and nodded secretly. Zhong Yao still knew his limits.

Zuo Li heard the sound of drinking tea, paused, and said, "General Dong wanted to sneak out of the city among the civilians, but was stopped by me."

Liu Bian's eyebrows jumped, and he smiled and said, "Not bad."

Zuo Li's eyes flashed with excitement, and he said quickly: "I dare not. Your Majesty, the Minister of Works and the Minister of Works have been in the Minister of Works' Mansion all night. Doctor Yang did not go to the Shangshutai yesterday because of family matters."

Liu Bian wrapped himself in a blanket and said nonchalantly, "Continue."

Zuo Li lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Yesterday, the Queen Mother seemed to be about to issue an imperial decree, but in the end she didn't. Governor Tang once asked the prince to intercede for the Yuan family, but the prince ignored her."

Liu Bian held the teacup, nodded and said nothing.

Empress Dowager He was not a woman with her own opinions. The closer the person was to her, the greater the influence they had on her. Now the closest person to her was her son.

"Tang Mao..."

Liu Bian thought that this cheap father-in-law was obviously a man who maintained the status quo.

At this time, Pan Yin came in, handed over a few memorials, and said, "Your Majesty, these were sent by the Shangshutai last night."

Liu Bian reached out to take it and flipped it with one hand.

The first one was from Wang Yun, asking Liu Bian to issue an edict to thoroughly settle accounts with the Yuan family and their followers.

Liu Bian shook his head and said to himself, "This prince is a little short-sighted."

Pan Yin and Zuo Li lowered their heads, as if they didn't hear anything.

The second one was a joint memorial from Zhong Yao and Xun You, the main content of which was about "tax transfer", requesting that it be implemented first in Sili to see the results.

Liu Bian picked up the teacup, looking thoughtful.

Zhong Yao and Xun You's proposal is indeed very good, but the post of Inspector of the Imperial Capital is currently held by Huangfu Song. Before it can be implemented, a suitable Inspector of the Imperial Capital must be found.

Liu Bian thought about it and reached out to turn the page. It was a joint petition to plead for the Yuan family. He looked at the signature and threw it aside.

After taking a sip of tea, Liu Bian looked up at the two people in front of him and asked, "Are there any other theories about the Yuan family?"

Pan Yin said nothing and glanced at Zuo Li.

Zuo Li looked more cautious, and said in a gentle voice: "Your Majesty, there are rumors everywhere outside, saying all kinds of things, and I am suppressing them."

Liu Bian felt a headache, he sat for a long time and said, "The way to deal with rumors is to spread more rumors. Suppression is not enough, you can spread more outrageous rumors. For example, the grievances between the eunuch party and the Yuan family; the open and secret struggles between the Yang family and the Yuan family; Dong Zhuo will lead his troops to wipe out the Yuan and Yang families; for example, Wang Yun wants to kill all the noble families in the world, no matter how outrageous it is..."

Zuo Li listened and instantly made up several stories in his mind. He quickly said, "I understand."

Liu Bian coughed lightly, feeling a little uncomfortable again, and turned to the last question.

After taking a glance, Liu Bian frowned immediately.

As soon as Ding Yuan arrived in Yanzhou, he suffered a defeat. Fortunately, his soldiers were brave and rescued him. He had to retreat to Jiyin County and ask the court to send troops for support.

"The consequences are here."

Liu Bian sighed and said, "Send the decree. Xu Rong will enter Yanzhou and be under Ding Yuan's command. Cao Cao's troops will be stationed in Henei."

Yanzhou was already in chaos, and now things are about to get even more chaotic.

"Yes." Pan Yin responded.

Liu Bian was sweating profusely, and after taking another sip of hot tea, he stood up and said, "I'll go back and take a nap. Someone please stop me."

"I obey your command." Pan Yin and Zuo Li responded at the same time.

Liu Bian wrapped himself in a blanket, left the study and returned to his bedroom.

Tang Ji had just woken up and was getting dressed. Seeing this, Liu Bian went to bed and hugged her, saying, "Sleep with me for a while longer."

Tang Ji pursed her lips, her pretty face rosy, and said softly: "Your Majesty, your health is very important..."

"Just sleep, don't think too much." Liu Bian pulled her into his arms and covered her with a quilt.

Tang Ji lay in Liu Bian's arms. Seeing that he had no intention of accepting her, she breathed a sigh of relief and tucked the quilt in for him.

……

As the sky gradually brightened, Wang Yun entered the palace early in the morning.

The palace was deserted. Apart from the guards on duty, there were almost no eunuchs or palace maids.

Wang Yun entered the Secretariat, knelt down at his seat, then raised his head and looked around with an indifferent expression.

Yuan Wei's position was vacant, the positions of the three ministers Ding Gong, Liu Hong, and Dong Zhuo were vacant, and Yang Biao's position was also vacant.

He was the only one in the huge Shangshutai.

A strange look appeared on Wang Yun's face, and an indescribable excitement surged in his heart.

But after a moment, he returned to normal and lowered his head to deal with the memorial on the table.

They sat there until dawn, and people began to move around in the Shangshutai.

Wang Yun looked at the petition in his hand from the governor of Hanzhong requesting an increase in the number of troops. He ignored it and put it aside. He then asked the Zhonghuangmen not far away, "Is your Majesty recovered?"

The Zhonghuangmen raised his hand quickly and said, "My Lord, I don't know."

Wang Yun lowered his head in thought when he heard footsteps coming from outside. He turned around and saw Zhong Yao and Xun You coming together.

He subconsciously frowned, then sat up straight, with an indifferent expression, and said, "Any results of the interrogation?"

Zhong Yao greeted him, then handed over an official document and said solemnly, "My Lord, the Supreme Court has completed the interrogation and is expected to close the case within three days."

Wang Yun's face changed slightly. He took the memorial and read it quickly. He turned his head to look at Zhong Yao, his eyes twitching. He suppressed his anger and said, "Is that all?"

This official document involves less than ten people besides the Yuan family!

The Yuan family occupied half of the imperial court, and their disciples and former officials were spread all over the country, but in the end they only had less than ten followers of varying sizes!

Zhong Yao raised his hand and said, "Yes. The crime of the Yuan family is that they colluded with the Yellow Turban rebels, which is treason. This matter is confidential, not many people know about it, and even fewer people are involved, so there are only so many."

Wang Yun looked directly at Zhong Yao, his eyes as cold as ice, and asked, "Zhong Tingwei, what do you mean?"

Xun You saw this and said quickly, "My Lord, the Yuan family is too sensitive to be implicated. We need to end this as soon as possible to calm the people of the world."

Wang Yun glanced at him from the corner of his eye, his anger intensified, and suddenly he understood something, his expression became even colder, and he said, "Zhong Tingwei, Xun Shangshu, is there something in this that I shouldn't know?"

Is this an insinuation that they are covering up?

Xun You was startled and said, "My Lord, this method is all for the sake of the overall situation, and there is no personal intention."

Wang Yun snorted coldly, stared at the two men, and said, "Eliminate all evil, otherwise you will be devoured. Do you need me to teach you such a simple truth?"

Seeing that Wang Yun was unwilling to give up, Zhong Yao explained more seriously: "Prince, if you kill so many people, how many scholars in the world can escape responsibility? Apart from other things, Prince, you are related to the Yuan family by marriage, right?"

Wang Yun felt his face burning, his eyes kept blinking, and he could no longer suppress his anger. His chest rose and fell, and he shouted, "We can't just let it go like this. We must kill one to warn the rest, to serve as a warning to others! All the gang members in the capital must be captured, not a single one can escape!"

Xun You and Zhong Yao looked at each other. What Wang Yun said was actually not without reason, but the problem was that now was not a peaceful and prosperous era. If they did as Wang Yun said, the whole world would be shaken and people would turn away, which would be detrimental to the court and the Han Dynasty.

Zhong Yao and Xun You both saw the difficulties in the two men's eyes and didn't know how to stop Wang Yun from going his own way.

You can't say that this is the intention of His Majesty in the palace, right?

On the surface, His Majesty was ill in the palace and had never been involved in the Yuan family case, and was not even aware of it.

Seeing that the two were silent, Wang Yun suppressed his anger, took out a document from his bosom, and said, "Minister Xun, you can arrange it."

Xun You was puzzled and took it and opened it.

This was an appointment document, appointing twelve people including Li Ru as the Minister of Punishments. In addition to the Shangshu Tai, they were spread across the Nine Ministers, all of which were important official positions.

When Xun You saw that Wang Yun had spoken to him so clearly, he wanted to refuse and planned to go to the palace to ask Liu Bian for instructions later. However, as Wang Yun was the Recorder of the Secretariat and was in charge of the Criminal Department, it was his power to appoint the Minister of Criminal Department.

Xun You hesitated for a moment and said, "My Lord, according to the rules of the Shangshutai, this matter requires the consent of more than half of the recorders."

Wang Yun snorted, turned around and sat back down, saying, "Then go ask them."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yao couldn't help but look at Wang Yun with a hint of surprise.

If we really take this document to ask those people, Ding Gong and Liu Hong will most likely not have any objection, and Dong Zhuo and Yang Biao are unlikely to object either.

There will be almost no obstacles to Wang Yun's appointment document!

Xun You also thought of it, his eyes moved, and he raised his hand and said, "I obey your command."

When Zhong Yao saw that he had agreed, he was about to speak, but Xun You pulled him out together.

Wang Yun lingered over their backs with a cold gaze, thinking about his plan to establish his authority.

After leaving the Shangshutai, Zhong Yao couldn't help but say, "Xun Shangshu, the prince is obviously trying to cultivate a personal relationship with him, how can you agree to this?"

Xun You patted the document in his hand and smiled, "As for this document, I sent people to consult you gentlemen, but there may not be any results in three to five days."

Zhong Yao immediately understood and smiled, but then he stopped smiling and said solemnly, "We need to conclude the case as soon as possible. What if the prince disagrees?"