Chapter 31
[This is a blessing for the Han Dynasty, not the result of Qiao Yan alone.] 】
This sentence was also written by Lu Zhi in the memorial sent to the capital.
He thought for a moment and added, "Qiao Yan is indeed a talented pillar of the Han Dynasty. I hope Your Majesty will cherish her and make use of her." 】
Seeing Qiao Yan defend the camp and seeing her gain the upper hand in the debate with the great sage Zhang Jue on the stage were completely different things for Lu Zhi.
What is even more rare is that she has the ability to rely on powerful weapons and coordinate, but she also has the humility to protect the Han Dynasty and not take credit for it.
The more Lu Zhi looked at Qiao Yan, the more he felt that if he was obsessed with gender stereotypes, he would miss out on such a person who could be a key figure in the revival of the Han Dynasty.
Lu Zhi had a clear view of the current situation. Even if the Yellow Turban Rebellion was suppressed, it would not necessarily change the fact that the Han Dynasty was already in an irreversible precarious situation.
However, if Your Majesty reflects on this uprising and promotes talented people like Qiao Yan to serve you, there may still be a chance to save the situation.
"I just hope Your Majesty will not be confined by prejudice."
It is hard not to say whether Empress Dowager Dou, who pushed Liu Hong to the throne, created some obstacles to Qiao Yan's promotion.
Lu Zhi thought for a moment and added, "This is what Huangfu Yizhen and I share the same wish. 】
He called on his personal guards to deliver the memorial to Huangfu Song first. After getting his seal, he sent a fast horse to deliver it to Luoyang.
However, although he said that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was just one of the chaos in the now crumbling Han Dynasty, he could not deny that it was undoubtedly a matter of urgency to curb this disorderly destruction as soon as possible.
Now the advantage is on their side.
The refugees driven by the Yellow Turbans in various places may not understand the contradictions in the Taiping Jing, nor do they understand the cutting-edge knowledge of astrology, but they understand one thing -
Although the cinnabar talisman had not caused any substantial harm at this time, it was far less effective than what they expected, and Zhang Jue was not Huang Tian's spokesperson.
After losing this spiritual leader, suppressing the Yellow Turban bandits became a much easier task than before.
Let’s not talk about other places for now. After all, the transmission of information may still have timeliness issues, but at least the rebellion suppression work in Jizhou has been much smoother than before.
However, the incidents of refugees revolting, burning and killing official residences and government offices, and plundering the nobles and powerful will have to wait until subsequent officials arrive and examine them one by one.
Liu Bei and his troops had turned back temporarily because of the debate between Qiao Yan and Zhang Jue and their responsibility to escort the Yellow Turban prisoners. Now they had to get ready and set off again.
But this time, among the Yellow Turbans of Guangzong who had been captured by them earlier, some expressed their willingness to lead the royal army and only asked to atone for their crimes. Compared with their previous indifference, it is no exaggeration to say that their attitude is completely different from before.
Just as Liu Bei breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Zhang Fei ask, "Brother, there is something I haven't figured out from yesterday to today. You are more knowledgeable than me, can you help me solve this puzzle?"
Seeing Liu Bei signaling him to continue, Zhang Fei said, "You said that the mercury produced by burning cinnabar is poisonous, but I heard that the emperor in the past also took it. Aren't they seeking their own death?"
"Be careful with your words!" Liu Bei was almost frightened by Zhang Fei's question.
Fortunately, when Zhang Fei asked this question, he still knew that questions related to the emperor should never be asked so directly.
Liu Bei looked around and saw that no one noticed their conversation, so he breathed a sigh of relief again.
When Zhang Fei asked this question, he felt much more exhausted than the campaign to suppress the Yellow Turbans.
Although the current emperor Liu Hong does not have a passion for elixirs like Emperor Xiaowu of the Western Han Dynasty, seeking immortality and the way of Taoism is not uncommon among dignitaries.
This is not something you can say casually.
What's more, when Qiao Yan revealed that cinnabar was poisonous during his debate with Zhang Jue, he was only talking about Zhang Jue's behavior. What does it have to do with those who hired alchemists to make elixirs? After all, there is still a fig leaf.
"No more talking." Zhang Fei quickly stopped talking when he saw the warning on Liu Bei's face was much stronger than before.
He just kept muttering, "Let's not talk about the cinnabar. It's always okay to talk about old Zhang Jiao... Before he got into so many troubles, I guess no one thought that he would lose to such a kid."
Zhang Fei still has a good impression of Qiao Yan.
Although she had previously come up with a mysterious trick when she took over Lu Zhi's command of the camp under Quzhou City, which prevented Zhang Liang from leaving the city to fight, she naturally had no chance for Zhang Fei to move his hands.
But no matter what, after the capture of Quzhou City, his elder brother would be considered to have made real contributions in suppressing the Yellow Turbans, and he should be given an official position. Especially yesterday he heard General Lu say that government offices in various places might be facing a shortage of staff, so this was even more of a chance.
Ever since he followed Liu Bei in Zhuo County, he felt that his elder brother was a man of character. Since he was a capable person, he should have a position where he could display his abilities.
But if you put it this way—
"Brother, what kind of reward do you think the Qiao family's daughter will get in the end?"
"We can't say that," Liu Bei jumped on his horse and said to Zhang Fei, "Let's go, Yide. If you want to move your hands and feet, don't do it behind Yunchang!"
After Liu Bei said this, Zhang Fei dared not gossip about anything else.
But when Zhang Fei mounted his horse and left the camp, Liu Bei subconsciously glanced at the large flag with the word "Qiao" on it in the camp, and couldn't help thinking about the question Zhang Fei asked.
Huangfu Song's evaluation of Qiao Yan's talent as a king's assistant was only in the letter to Lu Zhi. However, he did say one sentence in public, which was - one man is comparable to thousands of soldiers.
Qiao Yan also proved this statement with his actual actions.
Liu Bei felt that with his performance this time, he might be able to find a job in Jizhou or Youzhou, which had survived the chaos. Although he was not as successful as his fellow disciple Gongsun Zan who got a job early with the help of his father-in-law's relationship, he was only 25 years old now, and it was not too late for him to achieve something.
But Liu Bei was not sure how far Qiao Yan could go with this achievement.
It's because she gave an achievement that is difficult to evaluate.
Liu Bei had already learned from Chunyu Qiong that the eunuch Zhang Rang was carrying an imperial decree to confer the title of marquis on Qiao Yan, but it was temporarily suppressed because of her gender.
But now she has added another bargaining chip to herself, and I’m afraid she won’t be able to suppress it.
In other words, if Emperor Liu Hong of Han could not offer a suitable reward, it would be difficult to convince the soldiers who participated in the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
It would be fine if what she did could be replaced by others, but...
This is an amazing resume that no one can replicate!
However, before the three debates between Qiao Yan and Zhang Jiao on the Taiping Jing were recorded truthfully by Lu Zhi and sent to Luoyang, the first thing that arrived at Liu Hong's desk was Zhang Rang's news that she was actually a woman.
Liu Hong had just been extremely surprised because Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi took Quyang and then captured the two cities of Guangzong and Quzhou, and one of Zhang Jue's three brothers died, one surrendered and one was captured, but now he received such a hot potato.
His military achievements in Yan and Yu states alone were enough for him to give Qiao Yan the position of Marquis of Leping after careful consideration, which shows his excellence.
But in the suppression of the rebellion in Jizhou, even though Huangfu Yizhen and Lu Zigan were the ones who made the greatest contribution in capturing the city, she could still be ranked third, and the issue of rewarding people for their contributions could not be avoided.
However, there had not been a case of a woman being granted a title of nobility in the Han Dynasty for hundreds of years.
Although Liu Hong had done many things that were out of line with the norm in his words and deeds, he had no intention of doing anything so presumptuous.
"This is really a difficult problem." He read the memorial about the Battle of Quzhou between Emperor Guangzong and Zhang Rang's urgent letter again, and found that he could not blame Huangfu Song at this time.
Naturally, this cannot be blamed on Grandpa Qiao, who was already terminally ill and whose two sons had died before him.
Liu Hong thought about it and decided that he might as well throw this question to the court officials.
Such troublesome matters should naturally be considered by those who receive salaries.
Since Emperor Gaozu of Han, when Shusun Tong wrote a petition to standardize the court rituals, the Han dynasty's regular court rituals had formed detailed rules and ceremonies. Although Wang Mang rebelled and usurped the throne to establish the Xin Dynasty, they were restored after Emperor Guangwu restored the dynasty.
It was not yet seven o'clock in the night, as it was already summer, and courtiers in red jackets filed into the hall. They knelt down and bowed to the leader according to their rank, then stood still with their tablets in their hands and their heads bowed.
Even though they followed the ancient custom, in order to show their respect for the current emperor, no one looked up. This did not prevent everyone present from hearing that Liu Hong, who was at the head of the group, yawned loudly several times.
Situ Yuanwei frowned.
He has always been aware of the emperor's absurdity, but now is not the time to slack off. He should at least do something.
He turned his head and secretly exchanged expressions with the Grand Marshal Yang Ci, and they both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
The status of the Runan Yuan family and the Hongnong Yang family are similar, and both can be considered to have three dukes in four generations. However, no matter how deep the foundation of these aristocratic families is, if we count the power, they are naturally not as good as the emperor.
When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, Yang Ci was almost stripped of his position as one of the Three Dukes because of his rash advice to Liu Hong regarding his inappropriate behavior. Naturally, he now had to be more careful in his words of advice.
But in this exchange of glances, it was not difficult for Yuan Wei to see that the Yang family had a tradition of speaking frankly that seemed to be passed down from generation to generation. Even if he endured it today, he was afraid that he would bring up the old matter again in a few days.
When he thought of this, he looked away and lowered his eyes, feeling a little worried about Yang Ci.
Fortunately, the focus of today's court meeting is not on persuasion.
There were frequent chaos everywhere. All the two thousand stone officials who could participate in the court meetings had something to report, ranging from the general affairs of Luoyang to the defense of the eight passes in the capital, and now they were talking about the Yellow Turban War situation in Jingzhou, south of Luoyang.
"The Yellow Turbans of Jingzhou gathered hundreds of thousands of people and, under the leadership of Zhang Mancheng, held Wancheng. The Right Lieutenant General led his troops to launch a surprise attack. His guard Sima first climbed the top of the city wall and killed Zhang Mancheng in battle. The newly appointed governor of Nanyang, Qin Jie, ambushed them at Quekou and succeeded again. Only the remnants of Zhang Mancheng tried to escape by water, but were ambushed and killed by the Right Lieutenant General's troops deployed in the river."
"The remnants of the Yellow Turbans intended to support Zhao Hong as their leader, but the Right Lieutenant General had anticipated this and sent Jingzhou Governor Xu Qiao to lead a group of troops to force Zhao Hong into Yicheng. Yicheng is not as difficult to attack as Wancheng. The Right Lieutenant General reported in a letter that Zhao Hong would be defeated within ten days."
"Great, great!" Although Liu Hong had already received the news yesterday, it did not prevent him from praising it out loud at this time.
He did not even try to hide his satisfaction with the outcome of the battle in Nanyang. "The Right General has lived up to my expectations."
The news that Zhu Jun was about to pacify the Yellow Turbans in Jingzhou, although it could not be compared with the results of Huangfu Song and Qiao Yan who directly attacked Zhang Jiao from under his yoke, was still a substantial achievement.
Liu Hong had become greedy due to the urgent reports sent back by Huangfu Song, but he would not go to the extent of ignoring the victory of pacifying a state.
Moreover, in the victory report, the words "Sima, the guard of the Right General of the Central Army, was the first to reach the top of the city wall" made Liu Hong keenly aware that this person might be no simple person.
Even if he is not a capable enemy, he must be a brave and powerful general.
If it weren't for this advance move, even if the rebellion in Yuzhou was quickly quelled and a surprise attack was launched when the troops were divided and marched south, it might not have been possible to take Zhang Mancheng's life so easily.
After all, Wancheng is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and even Liu Hong, who has been in the Forbidden Palace for many years, is not unaware of this.
What was his name written in the urgent message sent to him yesterday?
Liu Hong lazily recalled, vaguely remembering that it seemed to be called -
Sun Jian Sun Wen Tai?
This person should be given some kind of official position.
Fortunately, this kind of thing is not as troublesome as Qiao Yan's situation...
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly saw Taiwei Yang Ci walk out of the queue, bowed again and said, "I have something to report."
As soon as he saw Yang Ci's face, Liu Hong couldn't help rubbing his forehead, "Yes."
When Yang Ci stepped out, Liu Hong subconsciously felt that he was about to say something that would embarrass him, and sure enough, he heard him say:
"It is good news that the Yellow Turbans in Jingzhou have been quelled, but there are many clan bandits during this period, and the masses are not loyal to them. There is already a lot of trouble. The Right General of the Central Army can be said to have put down the Yellow Turbans, but he is not capable of dealing with the rebellion of the total bandits. Qin Chuqi and Xu Mengyu are not long-term
People who follow this path. I suggest that Your Majesty send one person to reward the army and another person to help suppress the rebellion of Zongzi. ”
What is a clan thief? It is an armed organization based on clans in the southern hilly areas, which is quite similar to the northern warlords.
But as a rule, the northern tyrants, especially the bureaucratic tyrants, often regard the southern clan thieves as thieves rather than as their fellow men.
In addition, during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the clan bandits were rampant in the southern part of Jingzhou, causing even more harm than the Yellow Turbans, which made people even more ashamed to be associated with them.
For example, there was a bandit leader named Su Dai who was entrenched in the Changsha area.
Is what Yang Ci said correct? Maybe that's right.
If we can take advantage of the opportunity of defeating the Yellow Turbans to further march south to quell the rebellion, we may actually be able to do it.
But does Liu Hong want to hear this? He wasn't going to listen!
He also planned to keep those clan bandit forces to check and balance the aristocratic families in Nanyang. Anyway, the two sides have not caused any major trouble that would reach the ears of the emperor, so there is no need to let Zhu Jun and his troops continue to march south to fight.
This will not only increase the cost of the war, but also increase the reward if they make further achievements.
You know, it is not as easy to fool military generals with rewards as it is to fool civil officials.
But he couldn't be so decisive. Liu Hong didn't show any emotion on his face. He just asked, "Who do you want to recommend?"
Yang Ci replied: "I would like to recommend Huang Wan from Jiangxia."
Huang Wan Huang Ziyan...
Liu Hong repeated the name in his mind.
This was not a strange name to him.
Huang Wan's grandfather Huang Qiong was the son of the Minister of the Chancellery. During the Jianhe period of Emperor Xiaohuan's reign, he served as Sikong, Situ, and Taiwei. When he died in the seventh year of Yan Xi, he was awarded the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry. Huang Wan can be said to be the descendant of a famous official.
This man became the General of the Five Officials in his early years because of his intelligence and eloquence. He was indeed a promising talent.
But this person was also involved in the Party and Faction Persecution.
Because of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Hong had to lift the ban on party members in order to gain the support of scholars, but this did not mean that he had no reservations about recommending and employing party members.
Yang Ci bowed his head in a humble manner, but he could not see the unfriendly look from Liu Hong. He only heard Liu Hong reply, "Huang Wan has been confined to Jiangxia for many years. Although he was recommended by the Grand Commandant, I know that he did not collude with the clan thieves, but there are still rumors."
He paused, yawned sleepily, and then continued, "But I deeply value Huang Wan's talent. It would be a waste to let him stay at home idle. I will first send him to the capital to start as a counselor. We will discuss where to send him later."
Since Liu Hong has made such a decision, no one else has the opportunity to comment.
Yang Ci held up the hu tablet and bowed his head in thanks, and then listened to Liu Hong say: "But the Taiwei's concerns about the clan thieves in Jingzhou are not without reason--"
"General, do you have anyone suitable to recommend to me?"
He Jin was stunned when Liu Hong suddenly called out his name, but he soon realized that this could indeed be regarded as the emperor's reliance on him.
Ever since his sister entered the palace and was favored, he had been promoted smoothly in official positions. Because of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he was promoted to the position of general and even received the title of Shen Hou.
Once you become a general, you can set up your own government. It has only been three months since the Yellow Turban disciple Ma Yuanyi was executed by being torn to pieces, but He Jin's general's government is already fully staffed.
Now Liu Hong asked him if there was anyone he could recommend to him. When He Jin thought about it, a lot of names popped up in his mind.
For example, Chen Lin, the chief clerk under his command, was a good writer. Although there was no such thing as the Seven Sages of the Jian'an Period, nor was there an anti-enemy manifesto that cured Cao Cao's headache, it did not prevent Chen Lin from making He Jin very fond of him with his writing.
But as a scholar, it is not suitable for us to go to a place where there are frequent chaos caused by clan bandits.
This way, the range of options is much smaller.
He Jin still prefers a few officials around him.
Who were the subordinates under He Jin at that time?
Kuai Yue was the leader of the Kuai family, a prominent family in Nanjun, Jingzhou.
Yuan Shao, previously due to the Party Imprisonment Disaster
He lived in seclusion, but now he responded to his call and took up an official post.
Liu Biao, one of the Eight Talents and a member of the Han royal family, was implicated in the Party and Faction Persecution due to the Imperial Student Movement and was forced to flee until last month when he was invited by He Jin.
There are also Han Zhuo, Wang Kuang, Xu You, Wu Fu and others...
In He Jin's opinion, these people are all better at talking and doing things than a butcher like him, and what they say to him is also very nice.
Since Liu Hong asked, it seemed appropriate for him to recommend one of them to report as a reward.
However, probably because he took a little longer to think, before he could announce the name of Liu Biao, the one he had chosen after careful consideration, Liu Hong said, "Forget it. You are a general who has just opened your office. The people under you have not yet shown their talents. If you recommend someone with a false reputation among them, wouldn't it affect your reputation?"
Liu Hong's words sounded so much like concern for He Jin that when He Jin stood back in line he didn't realize that he hadn't even said a word.
Yuan Wei glanced suspiciously in the direction of He Jin, and seeing that his face was filled with joy and happiness that the emperor trusted him, he felt that he was probably overthinking it.
But before he could think more, Liu Hong spoke again, "The commander mentioned Huang Wan Huang Ziyan earlier, which reminded me of someone I would like to discuss with you. This person's name happens to have one character in common with Huang Ziyan's, which is Yan."
"Qiao Yan, grandson of Grandpa Qiao."
When he heard the name, Yuan Wei's eyelids jumped.
Previously, Liu Hong ordered Zhang Rang and Zuo Feng to go to Jizhou to read the imperial edict. With his information channels, he would not have failed to receive the news. That was why he ordered Chunyu Qiong to accompany Liu Hong when he was selecting the lieutenant of the imperial guard.
And just yesterday, Chunyu Qiong's letter, which was too brief but actually contained a lot of information, was delivered to him.
When hearing Liu Hong mention Qiao Yan at this moment, others might not know what was so special about it, but Yuan Wei would definitely know it.
He thought that Liu Hong had already given Qiao Yan the status of Marquis of Leping Township before the war in Jizhou was settled, which was considered a special favor to him, but he never expected that he would say it in such a formal occasion as a court meeting.
Is it to consolidate the other party's position as a marquis, or... ?
Yuan Wei cursed Chunyu Qiong in his heart.
If he had any more scheming, he should have written more news about Qiao Yan in the letter, so that he could get to know the daughter of the Qiao family who was not born in Luoyang.
However, he only vaguely wrote in his letter that she had contact with Zhang Rang, which inevitably made him lose the initiative.
But Yuan Wei also knew that only by sending out someone like Chunyu Qiong who was obviously incompetent could Liu Hong agree to this decision.
His absurdity is based on his intelligence, and nowadays he is not someone who is easily fooled.
But there's no point in saying this now.
Yuan Wei put away his depression and heard Liu Hong say, "I haven't had time to tell you about this before. The grandson of Qiao Gongzu assisted the left and right Zhonglang generals in suppressing the rebellion of the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou and Yuzhou. In order to avenge his father, he went deep into the enemy camp and led the two Yellow Turbans to fight each other, giving the left Zhonglang general an opportunity to defeat the bandits. He is truly a filial and loyal person. You only know that the right Zhonglang general went straight to Wancheng after winning Changsha, but you don't know that the left Zhonglang general and Qiao Yan made a surprise attack on Xiaquyang, and after the victory, they turned to meet up with the north Zhonglang general."
Upon hearing the news of the reunion with Lu Zhi, the ministers present pricked up their ears and even had some guesses in their minds.
"The two Lieutenants delayed the delivery of the military report to prevent the remnants of the Yellow Turbans from causing trouble in the capital. Now the late military report has arrived. Qiao Yan replaced Lu Zhi to command the Quzhou camp to confront Zhang Liang. Lu Gong and Huangfu used Zhang Bao as bait to trick the Guangzong city gate open. After capturing Zhang Jiao, they returned to Quzhou and captured Zhang Liang. Although the rebellion of the moth bandits has not been completely quelled, it is not far away."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately said in unison, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."
But perhaps, in the joyful tones of their voices, they were not only congratulating Liu Hong, but also themselves.
The Yellow Turban bandits were making moves right under their noses, and all parties knew something about it, but they just didn't think that a mere small figure could accomplish anything. I never expected that this person could cause such a stir.
If he continues to commit crimes in Julu, it will be difficult to assess how the situation will develop in the end as time goes by.
At this time, the root cause of the Yellow Turban Rebellion could still be blamed on the Ten Eunuchs, but what would happen afterwards was completely unknown.
But now that Zhang Jue has been captured, cleaning up the mess is always easier than putting down the rebellion, so everyone can sleep well.
Liu Hong said, "In this battle, the Left General conquered two states and then rushed thousands of miles, so he should be counted as the first meritorious. The North General maneuvered between Zhang Liang and Zhang Jiao, and was able to accumulate advantages and determine the situation. Qiao Yan is more than capable of being inferior to these two. What do you think?"
Yang Ci has always been outspoken, and this time is no exception.
Hearing that the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion had been captured in May, I felt that Liu Hong was not so foolish after all. At least he did not make a mistake in selecting the generals for the expedition. He could even be considered to have received divine help.
And the Qiao Yan he mentioned...
He stepped out and replied, "If this boy really has the ability that Your Majesty has described, it would not be excessive to make him a marquis or a general, just to show Your Majesty's respect for meritorious officials."
Yang Ci didn't know Qiao Yan's situation, so he spoke only according to what he knew.
Qiao Yan had no reputation before, and Your Majesty called him by his first name, so I'm afraid he is not yet an adult, which makes him seem a little young.
But according to the custom of the Han Dynasty, one must observe a three-year mourning period after the death of one's parents. By then, he should be about the right age, so it would not be a problem if an official position was given to him in advance.
Special times deserve special treatment.
However, Liu Hong seemed to not care at all about what might happen if an old man like him suddenly received such unexpected news. He immediately responded with a thunderbolt: "But Taiwei, do you know that Qiao Yan is not the boy you mentioned, but Mr. Qiao's granddaughter? Do you think it's appropriate to reward her accordingly?"
"..." Yang Ci stood there in a daze as if he had been struck by lightning. He slowly raised his eyes and looked towards Liu Hong, only to find that the other party's expression was very serious and he obviously did not lie.
"She's a daughter..."
It seems that the reward cannot be given too easily.
There was no need for Liu Hong to fabricate Qiao Yan's contribution in this battle in order to raise her status at the court meeting. In this case, being in the enemy camp, instigating the Yellow Turbans, and launching a surprise attack on Xia Quyang with Huangfu Song, as well as occupying an especially key position in the Battle of Guangzong Quzhou, might all be her contributions.
"She was a girl of only ten years old."
Liu Hong's additional words came immediately afterwards. Even though Yang Ci felt that Huang Ziyan, whom he recommended, was a talented person of the Han Dynasty, he was still far inferior to Qiao Yan.
It is no wonder that Liu Hong would temporarily put it aside when he heard the person he recommended, and because of the word "Yan", he immediately thought of her.
But if it was a boy, there would be no need to worry about the reward.
For achievements like suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the three main generals must be made marquises, and promoted to higher positions on the basis of their rank as General of the Central Army. Since Qiao Yan is still a commoner, he might as well be given a marquisate first, and the rest can be discussed later.
But if it's a girl...
"Since Emperor Xiaowen, no women have entered the imperial court, nor have any women been granted titles of nobility. I'm afraid... I'm afraid it's not appropriate to do as I said before..."
Yang Ci has always been eloquent, but he couldn't help but hesitate when faced with this question.
But before he could finish, Yuan Wei stood up from the queue and said, "Since you have made great contributions to the Han Dynasty, you must be rewarded. Otherwise, it will be difficult to convince the people. However, in my opinion, you should reward them in a different way."
Yuan Wei had not been completely sure before what Liu Hong's attitude was towards the reward for Qiao Yan. Now, after listening to the conversation between him and Yang Ci, he had a rough idea.
He is still hesitating.
However, he clearly prefers the reward of being made a marquis.
In such a short period of time, Yuan Wei had no way of determining whether his inclination was due to his personal likes and dislikes or because of Zhang Rang's conspiracy mentioned in Chunyu Qiong's letter. But no matter what the situation was, Yuan Wei could at least be sure that Liu Hong was indeed still somewhat hesitant, so there was still room for maneuver.
Yuan Wei did not approve of women being granted the title of nobility!
He must also
Blocked.
But he was better at speaking than Yang Ci, and would never pour cold water on His Majesty when he was rejoicing over the victory of his meritorious officials.
This is better said in a roundabout way.
He thought about the favor He Jin had received since he became the general, as well as his previous performance. When Liu Hong signaled him to continue, he replied, "Our Han Dynasty governs the world with filial piety. Your Majesty has mentioned that Qiao Yan assisted in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion in revenge for her father, and your Majesty has personally acknowledged that she is a person who is both loyal and filial. She should be used as a model for reward."
"good."
"This woman can find flaws in the chaotic army, which shows that she is very intelligent. She has also temporarily replaced Lu Zigan as the commander of the army, which shows that she has the ability to coordinate and manage." Yuan Wei said again.
Seeing that Liu Xie still did not show any sign of denial, he continued, "Prince Bian is 11 years old this year, and Qiao's daughter is exactly 10 years old. Why not make her the Crown Prince's consort because of her loyalty and filial piety? After the three-year mourning period is over, they can get married. With her qualifications, she will surely be able to assist Prince Bian in his studies and help Your Majesty solve problems."
"Qiao Yan's grandfather was a man who devoted all his energy to the Han Dynasty and was loyal to it. This is also a reward for him. You know, the second son of Qiao Gongzu has passed away. Apart from Your Majesty, who can raise the weak girl and orphan for him?"
"Since you cannot be granted a title of nobility, you might as well consider the best of both worlds strategy I mentioned."
After Yuan Wei finished speaking, many voices of agreement were faintly heard in the court meeting, but Liu Hong, who was at the head of the group, did not speak a word.
Yuan Wei glanced at him carefully and found that he did not show any surprise. He felt that the suggestion he put forward was generally good.
But how could he know that, although Liu Hong did not show any strange expression on the surface, his heart was in turmoil.
Yuan Wei! This bastard Yuan Wei actually violated three of his taboos with just one suggestion.
It sounds like a good idea to make Qiao Yan the prince's consort.
But if it were a few years ago, Liu Hong might have thought it was okay, but not now.
Liu Bian was already eleven years old. Liu Hong had high hopes for him, but he found that he was rather cowardly and hesitant in his behavior, and did not seem like his child at all. Instead, Liu Xie was more favored by him. However, Yuan Wei's words seemed to have misjudged his preferences, and he actually thought that he favored Liu Bian more.
Although it was a common practice in the Han Dynasty not to depose the eldest son and enthrone the youngest, Liu Hong had been a rebel more than once or twice, so he didn't care about this.
If Qiao Yan was allowed to be Liu Bian's princess consort, with the abilities she demonstrated during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, she would be able to help Liu Bian secure his position as crown prince, which was very different from Liu Hong's preference.
This is the first prohibition.
In fact, even if Qiao Yan was allowed to be Liu Xie's princess consort, Liu Hong would never agree.
Several generations ago, Empress Dowager Deng Sui, although in name only, was deposed and reinstated twice while ruling the country. The power was almost completely in her hands. Although the political affairs were clear, it was also under her influence that the subsequent Empress Dowager Dou wanted to abuse her power and become regent. Liu Hong himself almost suffered from this, so how could he let his descendants face such a situation?
The Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou were manipulated by Qiao Yan, and the three Zhang brothers in Jizhou could not escape her calculations. No matter how loyal and righteous they were, Liu Hong could not help but feel a little wary of them.
He especially couldn't let her become the future queen.
And the third...
His gaze seemed unintentional, but in fact it was moving back and forth between Yuan Wei and He Jin below.
Since he had lost some of his favor for Liu Bian, he naturally took his anger out on Empress He and He Jin, but he still needed to rely on his external relatives to balance the situation, so it was natural that he appointed He Jin as the general and the Marquis of Shen.
But obviously, this word "cautious" did not make He Jin act cautiously when he was in power!
On the contrary, after he established his own government, he acted like the number one person in Luoyang City!
In terms of his actions, Liu Hong not only did not blame him but also praised him a lot, but he also took the situation into consideration.
He also knew very well that Yuan Wei's nephew Yuan Benchu had joined He Jin's school.
Now, after hearing Yuan Wei's suggestion, which he thought was excellent, he felt that it was just a gesture of goodwill from the Yuan family of Runan to He Jin.
This is also what he cannot tolerate.
I can endure it!
Of course, Yuan Wei’s guess was not wrong.
He really hadn't thought about how to reward Qiao Yan, and he was indeed hesitating whether to break the ancestral convention and reward him with the title of Marquis.
However, Yuan Wei did not let him give up the idea of becoming Marquis of Leping, but made him make up his mind in another direction.
Why can’t you be granted a title of nobility? Why can’t I be granted a title of nobility?
He had finally managed to get the aristocratic families and the eunuchs to check and balance each other, but ended up having two of them flirting with each other right under his nose. It would have been better to make Qiao Yan a marquis and use this girl's loyalty and filial piety to do something for him!
But before he could open his mouth, a eunuch suddenly came hurriedly to report that there was another urgent military report from Jizhou.
Liu Hong suppressed his impulsive thoughts, took the wax-sealed military report, and read the letter written by Lu Zhi word by word.
He was a little worried that the urgent report contained bad news, but after reading the content clearly, his eyes brightened up little by little.
He had always disliked Lu Zhi's pedantic and preachy temperament, but now he felt that the letter was sent at the right time!
As soon as he saw the end, he slammed the table and stood up.
The sound was loud and clear, and it was just as awe-inspiring as the determination he showed to rebel at that moment!
"Lu Zigan wrote to me that Qiao Yan had won three debates against the Yellow Turban leader Zhang Jiao, which exposed the flaws and shortcomings of the Taiping Dao. Now the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou... no, the refugees in Jizhou all regard Zhang Jiao as a bandit and a villain. This is the real trick to cut off the source of the problem and decide the outcome!"
"Situ Yuan, what you just said is really absurd! How can such a phoenix be trapped in the deep palace?"
Liu Hong paused for each word, and when he looked at the ministers present, he said with unusual firmness: "I intend to reward his merits with the title of county marquis."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
