Chapter 90: Revisiting the Old Place
Of course, what Guo Jia said when he found He Yong was not to the extent of actually saying the metaphor of a cornered dog that Qiao Yan had mentioned.
It must be said that Qiao Yan himself is indeed a remarkable person when it comes to being able to handle characters like Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia, besides being good at teasing and making sarcastic remarks.
Thinking of the word "change" she wrote at that time, she felt as if she had everything under her control.
After listening to Guo Jia's words, "We must be cautious when selecting potential candidates, in case Your Majesty changes his mind or even becomes dissatisfied with the nobles interfering in the matter," He Yong looked at him suspiciously and asked, "How can Marquis Leping be so sure that Your Majesty will do this?"
What actually surprised He Yong was that he always felt that it was only a month or two ago that he sent Guo Jia away from Luoyang and watched him go to Luoyang to visit friends. How come such a short time had passed and he had become a lobbyist for Marquis Leping?
He Yong didn't think that Guo Jia was being deceived.
Although he did not give an evaluation of this good friend who was much older than him as a talented person who could assist the king like Xun Yu, he was well aware of his abilities. He also knew that he was not the kind of person who would easily sell his future to anyone. It can be seen that the Marquis of Leping was really capable.
Especially she actually dared to employ people.
No one would dare to tell such shocking news to someone they had only known for less than two months, but He Yong had to admit that if the news was true, then Guo Jia, who did not seem to have close contact with her, was indeed the most suitable person to convey the message.
Because no one would associate him with Marquis of Leping.
Guo Jia heard this and replied, "It's because Le Ping Hou came alone to see the emperor today, and what she saw is what she got. Moreover, from the seventh year of Guanghe to now, Le Ping Hou has risen in the chaos and has never made a wrong judgment. Others only see that she has risen rapidly and enjoyed the people's reputation. Is it just that her luck is better than others?"
With He Yong's vision, he naturally would not have such an idea.
Qiao Yan is only fourteen years old, but he has already achieved his current status. In He Yong's opinion, he should not be classified among the younger generation compared to the Yuan brothers who still need to rely on He Jin.
Then the words she asked Guo Jia to convey at this time would become particularly important.
After sending Guo Jia away, he immediately went to find Yuan Shao.
The relationships between the characters that Qiao Yan knew were not wrong. If it was said that Yuan Ji, the eldest son of the Yuan family, had begun to build up his political capital as one of the Nine Ministers, and his brother Yuan Shu had been promoted through the arbitrary and tyrannical military command, then Yuan Shao was the hope of the Shilin Party. Apart from his unsuccessful attempt to retain a retreat route in Bingzhou, there was nothing wrong with his execution of the established goals. Therefore, for He Yong, he was indeed a hero whom he highly regarded.
He told Yuan Shao exactly the news that Qiao Yan had asked Guo Jia to convey. Sure enough, Yuan Shao quickly suppressed his slight anger because the news came from Qiao Yan, and instead pondered the information provided by Qiao Yan.
Liu Hong wants to use a more secretive way to select the eight Xiyuan schools that have been planned for a long time. Is this possible?
Very likely!
Lingling Guanhu only gave himself the title of General Pingtian, but Yuyang Zhang Ju actually gave himself the title of Emperor. Ma Teng, Han Sui and other Xiliang villains even extended their hands to the Sanfu area. The one who is on the throne of the Emperor must cherish the power he currently possesses, and even feel that it is not enough.
From Yuan Shao's point of view, Liu Hong seemed to still rely on General He Jin recently, but he sometimes showed inconsistent behavior. Even in this seeming favor, he still retained the status of a eunuch.
Logically speaking, it was common in the Eastern Han Dynasty for relatives of the emperor to be in charge of the military, such as Deng Zhi, the brother of Empress Hexi, and Liang Ji, the brother of Empresses of Emperor Shun and Emperor Huan.
But perhaps it was because Dou Wu, the father of Emperor Huan's last empress, intended to kill the eunuchs, which violated the emperor's authority and was killed by Liu Hong, which led to the emperor being more cautious than trusting of He Jin.
In this case, using another name to select the emperor's private army can both convince the people and prevent others from interfering.
So, is it possible that Qiao Yan chose to tell them the news after learning it?
Also possible!
Although this woman caused Yuan Wei to lose face in the court and forced Zhang Yi to withdraw from Bingzhou, she never infringed on the fundamental interests of the Yuan family.
Yuan Wei's demotion from the position of one of the Three Dukes was, in the final analysis, a normal change, not the result of any impact.
As she said, there are no eternal enemies in this world, only people who are united by interests for a short period of time.
What the gentry wanted was to gain more autonomy in their actions so that the Party and Faction Persecution would not reappear in the world, while what Qiao Yan wanted was to prevent unrest in Bingzhou that would endanger her Leping.
With these two demands happening to intersect at this time, it is not impossible to form an alliance of interests.
Because this was a matter of profit for both parties, her actions were convincing enough.
After thinking for a while, Yuan Shao asked He Yong, "What do you think of this news, Bo Qiu?"
"This is news that you won't lose if you give it a try, but it may be bad news for Benchu." He Yong replied.
Although he was telling bad news, there was not much displeasure on Yuan Shao's face.
How could he not know what the bad news He Yong meant?
If they were to follow Qiao Yan's advice, they could only be hidden personnel in this selection and give advice behind the scenes. For example, Yuan Shao would not be able to occupy a place in the eight schools of Xiyuan according to the original plan.
But there is nothing wrong with it considering the overall situation.
Besides, there’s no harm in giving it a try.
If the emperor changed his mind again and did not want to act according to the idea inferred by Qiao Yan, they would actually not suffer any loss.
At most, when handling this matter, you need to do as Qiao Yan reminded you, and be sure not to cross the line so as not to arouse Liu Hong's suspicion.
Therefore, Yuan Shao asked the second question: "In Boqiu's opinion, should this matter be reported to the general?"
The position of captain of the eight schools in Xiyuan is not something that the Yuan family can get. If this is true, no matter how many disciples the Yuan family has all over the world, they will not be able to avoid being exposed to the public and may even become the target of public criticism.
But the more you tell, the more troublesome it becomes to judge the scale of crossing the line.
Yuan Shao couldn't help but secretly resent Qiao Yan in his heart. It seemed that Qiao Yan was trying to make up for his previous feud with the Yuan family by handing them a crucial piece of information, but he was also throwing a hot potato at them at the same time.
He Yong thought for a moment and replied, "You don't need to do that for now. Let's wait for the official selection to be announced first. Then, please pay attention to the movements of one person - Jian Shuo."
"If this person joins the selection, then what Le Pinghou said must be true, and there is enough reason to inform the general now."
If they had said directly that they made this judgment based on the information provided by Qiao Yan, with He Jin's intelligence and his understanding of Marquis Leping, he would never think that this was true, and it might even delay important matters.
But what if a eunuch showed up for seemingly joking or testing purposes?
Combined with the news of selecting private armies, things become somewhat subtle.
"What Boqiu said is correct." Yuan Shao nodded in agreement, "But in this case, more than just the conflict between Qiao Yeshu and my Yuan family will be resolved because of this. If we can really further control the situation, we still owe her a favor."
"What's the harm?" He Yong asked back.
That's indeed okay.
Qiao Yan has proved with her behavior in Leping that her friendship with the attendant Bi Lan was for the sake of the dragon bone overturning. She was just attracted by his unique skills and tricks, and she did not really have any friendship with the eunuch forces.
Essentially, this is an extremely extreme pragmatist and doer.
Judging from her decisive action of selling out Liu Hong this time, as long as there are enough benefits for her, Leping and Bingzhou, she is not someone who cannot be won over.
Such a young genius who is both civil and martial, even though he obviously only wants to be upright and impartial, and only seeks profit and power for himself, can still be an excellent helper.
Yuan Shao laughed out loud and said, "That's right, it's fine, I'll pay it back later. Besides, if there is really a promotion for the Du Liao General, I'm afraid Cao Mengde, who is idle at home, will be unable to sit still, let him treat his niece to a drink and pay off the debt."
Cao Cao's position is indeed a bit strange because of his grandfather's problem, but his friendship with Yuan Shao is real.
Since the relationship debts between everyone can’t be settled, let’s find someone else to pay off the debt!
What is more important for Yuan Shao now is who to choose to represent the interests of the Yuan family when he cannot participate in this matter.
Chunyu Qiong... was still a little too obvious.
While Yuan Shao was planning to seek advice from the elders of his clan, Qiao Yan began to learn the Shangshu from Lu Zhi.
However, although it was more of a job-related decision, the opening article chosen by Lu Zhi still surprised Qiao Yan.
The one he chose was the fortune-telling chapter in the Book of Documents.
The "Shuo" in "Shuo Ming" does not mean speaking, but refers to Fu Yue, who was the wise minister who assisted Wu Ding in restoring the country.
The Three Stories of Mandates 1 records the relationship between Wu Ding and Fu Yue, including how Wu Ding dreamt of a wise man, how he listened to Fu Yue's advice, and the conversation between the king and his minister.
On the surface, Lu Zhi chose to teach this article in accordance with Liu Hong's instructions.
This not only expressed his expectation that Liu Hong could emulate the ancient sage kings, but also allowed Qiao Yan to learn how a "normal" minister actually gave advice to the monarch.
But think about it, after the solar eclipse in the first year of Guanghe, Lu Zhi proposed eight policies in a letter to the leaders, especially the suggestions of pardoning the party members, burying the relatives of Queen Song, and advising Liu Hong not to accumulate private wealth. The words were sharp, but none of them were adopted by Liu Hong. It can be imagined that he knew whether the situation predicted by fate was possible.
This move is quite ironic.
But anyway, this has nothing to do with Qiao Yan, an innocent student.
She carefully copied a paragraph with neat writing and asked the imperial guards sent by Liu Hong to check the academic results to deliver it to him.
Liu Hong unfolded the silk that he had deliberately changed to present to the king, and saw the words written on it:
People seek to know a lot and to accomplish things at the time. Only by learning from the ancient teachings can they gain something. If we do not learn from the past in order to achieve eternal success, our foolish words will be heard. 2
Translated, combined with Qiao Yan's meaning, it means:
Your Majesty is right. People should read more books, especially ancient books, to learn the skills of the sages. They should also learn more from the ancient teachings when doing things, so they should not be stubborn and reckless.
I have now realized that I have little knowledge and have acted without reason. The Minister of the Chancellery told me this today and I was deeply moved, so I copied it down and presented it to Your Majesty.
Liu Hong almost laughed out of anger at her behavior.
If she is really narrow-minded, then who wrote those letters of apology and the article on feudalism of provincial governors? If she really felt that she had done something wrong, could she just copy the book without adding a few words of her own thoughts?
Furthermore, who exactly is this Shi Gu? It is obvious that she has her own ideas here.
But fortunately, this is acceptable on the surface. Liu Hong shook his head and put it aside for the time being.
However, when considering the identity of the lieutenant of the private army, he was a little confused about the choice of person, so he asked casually, "Who has she met since she arrived in the capital?"
Guessing that Liu Hong would ask this question, Zhang Rang replied, "From yesterday until I finished writing this book, Le Ping Hou was in Minister Lu's residence. But just now she said she wanted to go to her grandfather's former residence, and Minister Lu thought it was appropriate and let her go. She didn't seem to meet anyone on the way, and now she is in the former residence in Yanxili."
"Yanxili..."
Three years was enough for Liu Hong to forget the scene when he went here to visit Qiao Xuan.
As his body became worse and worse, he became less and less willing to recall the scenes when he was on the verge of death.
Thinking about it, given Qiao Yan's status, it was indeed reasonable for him to choose to return to his grandfather's former residence to visit him at this time, so he waved his hand and didn't ask any more questions.
And Qiao Yan had already pushed open the door of the courtyard.
Before she left Luoyang, Qiao Yan left him some funds because her grandfather's old servant was unwilling to go to Leping with her and only wanted to manage the place for his old master. So when she visited the house at this time, it seemed as if the scene was the same as before, without any dust covering the yard and fallen leaves.
Perhaps because the old servant did not have to take care of his master and had nothing else to do, he spent all his daily energy on sweeping and cleaning. Even the roof tiles in the main room with the words "永受嘉福" engraved on them seemed to be wiped every once in a while and remained unusually clean.
Especially the vegetable plots in the inner courtyard still showed signs of having been planted within the past year, and the land had been tilled.
Qiao Yan couldn't help but sigh.
The courtyard remained the same, except that Qiao Xuan was missing.
She walked back to the outer courtyard and saw the most sturdy and deep-rooted crooked tree, still half leaning against the wall of another house.
It's just that winter has arrived and this tree is not a very green one. Its leaves are almost all gone, making the garden seem even colder and more desolate.
However, just as she was wondering whether this was due to the fact that things and people had changed a lot in the past three years, she suddenly saw a head popping out from the top of the wall and looking at her, just like the last time she came.
The girl who was only four or five years old at that time is now eight years old.
But looking at her expression, she seemed not to have changed at all.
Before Qiao Yan could speak, she waved over here and asked in a low voice, "Sister, I just harvested some mustard greens from your field. Would you like to try some together today?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
