Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 99: Copying family affairs

It was not until dawn that Zuo Li dared to come out from behind the statue.

His legs had long been numb, and he sat on the floor, holding onto the table, rubbing his legs with a gloomy face.

The four guards were better and pulled the struggling Dong Zhuo out.

As the guard untied the rope, he explained, "Please forgive me, General. Someone wanted to kill you last night, and I had no choice but to do this."

Dong Zhuo's face was filled with anger, he no longer concealed his murderous intent, and glared at Zuo Li.

Zuo Li snorted coldly and looked outside. The rain was not that heavy. He said, "There are still a few horses behind us. Find them, take the small road, and return to Beijing as soon as possible."

Dong Zhuo didn't say anything. He didn't know what happened last night, but in his heart, Zuo Li was already a dead man!

The two guards were about to go out when they suddenly stopped, looking alert and holding swords in their hands.

I saw a man in his early thirties coming in with an umbrella.

When he saw the situation of the few people, he said calmly, "I'm just passing by." After saying that, he was about to step back.

Zuo Li's eyes turned cold and he said, "Bring him back!"

The two guards rushed over immediately.

The man threw away his umbrella and ran away without looking back, but he was caught soon after.

The man was tied up, but he was not frightened and did not speak.

Zuo Li looked at him, his face firm, his eyes calm, dressed like a scholar, and said directly: "Kill him."

The two guards drew their swords without hesitation and were about to chop.

"Wait a minute,"

The man said calmly, "You are all about to go on a long journey, and we can't waste time. Killing me and burying me will definitely take a long time. Isn't it best to tie me up and gag me?"

Zuo Li's snow-white face was gloomy. He stood up with some difficulty and said, "How do you know we can't waste time?"

The man said, "There is blood everywhere outside. You must be hiding. You must be worried that the thieves will come back and don't want to stay any longer."

Zuo Li took a few steps and said, "It won't take much effort to kill you."

The man remained calm and shook his head, saying, "Your Excellency came from the Forbidden Palace, so you must have a great mission. How could you easily kill a useless person? There is a small road behind the temple that can take you to Yanling, but you need to cross a river, which will be flooded if it rains heavily. If you can't get there at night, you will be in the middle of nowhere and it will be easy to get lost."

Dong Zhuo looked at the man, his eyes flickering with a look of interest.

Zuo Li looked strange and asked, "How do you know I'm from the Forbidden Palace?"

The man said, "Isn't it obvious enough, my lord and the imperial guards? If we delay, the small bridge will be flooded at any time."

Zuo Li carefully examined the man and suddenly said, "Take him with you!"

The man's face changed, and he said, "I am just passing by, and it has nothing to do with your business. Why would you bring a burden with you?"

Seeing that he was panicking, Zuo Li smiled and said, "I'll give you a future!"

Before the man could say more, the guards picked him up and carried him out.

Soon, the horses that Zuo Li had hidden in advance were pulled out. Six people and four horses had to eat while walking, while being cautious and vigilant.

Dong Zhuo was surrounded by guards in front and behind him. They looked expressionless and cold as they looked at Zuo Li, who was in the front. From time to time, they glanced at the tied-up, silent man, and were still thinking about how to escape.

Zuo Li is too insidious. He doesn't even treat him as the Grand Commandant and his methods are extremely despicable. If he takes risks, he will most likely die!

"Your name is Gongcheng?" Zuo Li spoke to the man and asked, "What's your name?"

The man said, "Zhuanghou."

At the same time, Luoyang, Imperial City, Yongle Palace.

It was unknown what Empress Dowager He and Lady Tang were talking about, but they were laughing happily.

Empress Dowager He laughed for a while and whispered, "Don't think he is serious now. He doesn't talk about anything else except government affairs. In the past, he did a lot of ridiculous things secretly. Tell me about your boudoir conversations..."

When Tang Ji heard this, she didn't know what she was thinking about, and her face suddenly turned red.

Seeing this, Empress Dowager He became more interested and came closer to say, "What are you afraid of if you tell your mother?"

Tang Ji's pretty face turned red, her lips moved but no sound came out.

Empress Dowager He was so happy that she was about to ask more questions when the palace maid at the door came in and made a subtle gesture.

Empress Dowager He then said, "I'll tell mother later."

As she spoke, she stood up, turned her back to Tang Ji, and her smile disappeared immediately.

The maid lowered her head and followed her out the door. After walking a long way, she saw that there was no one around and whispered, "Madam, the general sent a letter saying that the person was not found."

Empress Dowager He's face suddenly turned as cold as ice. She clutched her handkerchief tightly and cursed, "Useless thing!"

The maid didn't dare to look up and said, "My lady, the general sent a message saying that there are not enough people."

Empress Dowager He sneered and said, "He doesn't have many people? He wants to ask me for money again, isn't what I gave him enough? Tell him, if he does a good job, I will let him do whatever he wants in the countryside, but if he doesn't do a good job, I will take away everything from him!"

"Yes." The palace maid didn't dare to say more.

……

Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Wang Yun sat opposite Liu Bian with a frown on his face. On the small table in front of him were two lists of appointments of officials from the counties and prefectures of the Sili region.

There are huge differences between the two lists. There are more than 200 people on the list, but less than 20 of them overlap.

Liu Bian also had a copy in front of him. After reading it carefully, he raised his eyelids and looked at Wang Yun, saying, "My dear Wang, do you seem to be very disgusted with the list of officials?"

Wang Yun's brows relaxed, his expression normal, he bowed and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. This list of officials in the Ministry of Personnel, regardless of their status, is either from Yingchuan or a relative, friend, or mentor of Yingchuan. This Sili has become Yingchuan, I am deeply worried!"

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows. He had not realized this problem before, but he understood it immediately.

Xun You and Zhong Yao were both from Yingchuan, and those they recommended were nothing more than relatives, friends, and mentors, because their circle was not large, and when it came to trust, the number of people was even smaller.

Liu Bian looked at Wang Yun's words again, and after thinking for a while, he said, "My dear, my recruitment office has been open for two months, and I have recruited less than 20 people."

Those who are willing to come to Luoyang City now are either truly loyal to the emperor and the country, or are opportunists. Many people come to the Talent Recruitment Hall, but very few pass the assessment.

Just as Wang Yun was about to speak, Liu Bian casually said, "Almost all of the twenty people I recruited refused for various reasons, and some were simply not available. Everyone in the court is worried about their own safety, and people keep resigning and choosing to protect themselves..."

Wang Yun paused, bowed further, and said, "Your Majesty, I think that things cannot be done too hastily. Haste will lead to failure. We need patience."

Liu Bian looked at Wang Yun, feeling torn. If he was angry, he thought what he said made sense. If he was not angry, he thought he was always causing trouble for him.

After thinking for a while, Liu Bian said, "My dear, your report is very complicated and your character is hard to predict. You have never served in the government before. If you rashly put me in a high position, I am afraid I will not be able to do my job well."

Wang Yun said quickly, "Your Majesty, I think the Li Cao is too harsh and I have a clear disagreement. The six departments of the prefectures and counties have no more than 600 shi, and they are all doing trivial things. How can you ask for so much? I am against the appointment of the Li Cao, and many of my colleagues also think so."

Liu Bian looked thoughtful, and suddenly asked, "Is Yang Qing still asking for leave?"

In the Secretariat, there is only Wang Yun now, and his words represent the views of the court officials, except for Xun You, Zhong Yao and others.

"Yes." Wang Yun said.

'Still on leave.'

Liu Bian narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at Wang Yun's report. He could see that Wang Yun was cautiously cultivating his personal patrons. His mind turned, and then he sat up straighter and said, "Well, these are the appointments of Sili officials, let Sili Xiaowei decide."

The Inspector of the Imperial Capital was Tang Mao, Liu Bian’s adoptive father-in-law.

Wang Yun naturally refused to agree. He raised his head to speak, but Liu Bian stopped him and said, "Qingjia, how is the fundraising going?"

Wang Yun frowned and bowed, saying, "I am still trying to find a solution."

Liu Bian's eyes were slightly cold.

Wang Yun seemed to sense it and said, "Your Majesty, I think that we must be cautious in raising money and grain. We must not do as Minister Xun said and follow the court's regulations."

Liu Bian was furious. He stared at him and said calmly, "Does the Wang family think that following the rules can solve the problem of money and grain? Solve the bad policies of the court? Solve the difficulties facing the Han Dynasty?"

Wang Yun remained calm and said, "If the court does not take regulations as the priority, how can the officials and the people abide by them? The court should set an example for all things in the world, strictly discipline itself, and not overstep the boundaries."

Liu Bian looked unhappy, feeling a sense of frustration and having no place to vent.

Dong dong dong

Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the door. Pan Yin appeared at the door, looked at Liu Bian, and nodded heavily.

Liu Bian stood up suddenly, without caring about Wang Yun, and rushed out.

Pan Yin followed closely beside Liu Bian, turned his head and glanced behind him, and whispered: "Your Majesty, Huangfu Jianchang sent a letter, and he received a lot. He previously sent 50 million coins and 80,000 dan of grain, and the rest is still being counted."

Liu Bian left the backyard and arrived at the front yard, where he saw at least hundreds of large boxes neatly stacked.

Pan Yin said: "Your Majesty, the food is still outside the palace."

"Shi A pays homage to Your Majesty!" As Liu Bian approached, a man with droopy brows and droopy eyes knelt on one knee and said.

"No need to be polite." Liu Bian glanced at him, looked at the big boxes excitedly, reached out and touched them, and said loudly with excitement: "Pan Yin, pass the order to send all 80,000 dan of grain to Yanzhou, and also send 50 million yuan!"

"Yes." Pan Yin responded and hurried to the Shangshu Terrace.

Liu Bian walked around the boxes and came out to see Wang Yun there. He said with a smile, "Lord Wang, we have all the money and food!"

Wang Yun looked puzzled and asked, "Your Majesty, what are these?"

Liu Bian's smile faded a little, and he touched the big box beside him and said, "Back then, Yuan Shu killed the eunuchs and confiscated too many families. Afterwards, all the money and grain disappeared. Not long ago, someone reported that they were hidden by the Yuan family in Guandu. This was just seized."

Wang Yun looked at the big boxes with understanding.

Immediately, Liu Bian turned to him and asked, "Is the Criminal Department in charge of the confiscation of Wang Qing's family, Yuan's family, etc.?"

The Minister of Justice was Li Ru, who had just taken office.

Wang Yun said, "Yes. I have already asked Minister Li, and he said that he has sent people to various places to investigate. Not much was seized in Beijing, only 30 million in cash and 800 hectares of land."

Liu Bian nodded. Most of the Yuan family's assets were not in Luoyang. He said, "Search and bring them here as soon as possible."

Before the summer taxes came in, Liu Bian was counting on these to fill the hole.

Shi A wanted to speak several times, but seeing Wang Yun beside him, he finally said nothing and just stood there in silence.