Chapter 375 Xun...
In what capacity do you ask?
If it was the Shizhong of the Shangshutai, then he would be questioning as a subject of the emperor.
The question is why Qiao Yan, who had the imperial decree from the late emperor to entrust her with the care of the young emperor, would overstep her authority at this moment.
If the question was raised in the capacity of the Magistrate of Luoyang, then the question would be whether Qiao Yan's action was intended to make the people of Luoyang become pawns for her rebellion, so as to win back their rights to survive.
If they were descendants of the Xun family of Yingchuan, the question would be whether Qiao Yan's action of promoting Chang Yan meant that she was beginning to openly stand against the aristocratic family.
If the selection of Hongwenguan and the emergence of printing technology made the Xun family of Yingchuan, who were extremely capable in cultivating talents, only see opportunities for the strong to become stronger, then the emergence of Changyan made them see potential signs of Qiao Yan's suppression of the aristocratic families.
He couldn't help but ask.
If he were a citizen of the Han Dynasty, what he would ask is why the perception that the world belongs to the Han Dynasty seems to be changing with Qiao Yan!
Xun Yu was not a fool, in fact he was a "talented assistant to the king" with exceptionally keen political awareness.
At that time, he felt that it was a very inappropriate thing for him to doubt Qiao Yan's loyalty.
After all, from Qiao Yan's performance at the time, no one could tell that she had made a single mistake.
But now he could also sense that in this conflict against the rumors about celestial phenomena, what surfaced amid the undercurrent was not a counterattack forced upon him by the people of Chang'an into a desperate situation, but a premeditated attempt to take advantage of the opportunity.
Even if Qiao Yan did not raise her status in the Chang'an court to that of a swordsman, and even if she did not strive for the title of king above her original title of marquis, it could not change one fact -
She is no longer the Grand Marshal who she was when Xun Yu first came to Chang'an.
As the Han Dynasty declined, the Qiao family grew stronger.
The ambition to replace it that has arisen is not difficult to understand.
The whole country was in turmoil, and only the Grand Marshal was at peace.
The emergence of the phrase "Heroes who are destined by heaven have never been divided into two groups in the world" is also not difficult to explain.
Understanding is one thing, accepting is another.
Xun Yu lowered his eyes and looked at the cup of tea that Qiao Yan pushed in front of him.
The tea is clear and there is almost no tea residue.
Everyone knows that Sima likes tea, liquor and milk tea. Today, meeting guests with tea is the right way to entertain a gentleman.
He asked, "How about asking this question as one of the people of this world?"
Qiao Yan replied, "Today, hungry wolves guard the kitchens, hungry tigers herd pigs in cages, and thus disasters and chaos occur, with bones exposed in the wild. You have seen and heard about the drought and epidemic in Luoyang last year. Although we have tried our best, the noble families are intertwined, the Liu clan has divided the land for rule, and there are fortresses and high walls to hide the powerful crossbows, and private soldiers in hidden households form groups, so it is difficult to eliminate the hungry wolves and tigers. May I ask Wen Ruo, how to deal with it?"
This still poses a question for him to respond to.
But this is much more difficult to answer than the previous question.
The saying "a hungry wolf guards the kitchen, a hungry tiger herds pigs in a cage" is the most appropriate metaphor for the current situation.
Those who already control most of the wealth in this society are still trying to occupy more land with the most greedy appetite. The pigs in the kitchen are eaten by them before they even come out of the pot. The people who are left can only taste the leftovers and bones. They are even forced to raise livestock, hunt for food, and farm for food.
When natural disasters and epidemics occurred, they became food for hungry wolves or stepping stones for them to cross the river.
How to treat it?
The legal order established by Chen Qun and others certainly has a stricter division of the five punishments, but if no one files a lawsuit against such an existence first, they can obviously still maintain their previous peaceful life and will not stand in the position of being judged at all.
unless……
Before Xun Yu could reply, Qiao Yan went on to say, "Before the celestial phenomena changed, I once said something to you. I said that no matter how many people's criticisms and oppositions I had to face, I had to break through them first before I could have a chance to be reborn. I also said that the current situation is not calm enough, and I don't have the capital to be willful. I have to wait until the situation is settled before I can have a chance to change the world."
"But the waves caused by this red energy penetrating the purple palace have made me understand that as long as I am still in this position, it means that I don't need the support of my family to become the number one person under the emperor, and it means that the common people at the bottom can control their own destiny. It is impossible for me to safely take the land of the remaining four states into my pocket!"
"How can anyone in this world sit there and wait for death when they sense danger is imminent?"
Qiao Yan took a sip of the tea in front of her and spoke appropriately. However, Xun Yu, who was sitting opposite her, could easily see from her face the mockery of the people who had fanned the flames of the rumors a few months ago. "The Xun family of Yingchuan has eight dragons in one family, and the Chen family has three generations. The real people traveled east, but not all the powerful families in this world have the awareness and enjoyment of poverty like the children of the Xun and Chen families. Your Majesty abides by diligence and thrift, and Liu Xuande has the people asking for his order. However, among the successive generations of the royal family of the Han Dynasty, there are also those who abuse the common people and think they are superior."
She said with certainty, "Wen Ruo, I have no choice. I am not willing to hand over the territory I have taken back with my own soldiers to these people."
The moment Qiao Yan uttered the words "I'm worried", Xun Yu clearly heard the unyielding implication in her words.
She was not only worried about handing these territories over to the hands of those hungry wolves and tigers.
She was worried that Liangzhou, which had just recovered from a century-long Qiang rebellion, would return to a state of disunity. The infighting among the Qiang tribes and their refusal to obey Han officials became the mainstream in that land.
Because he was worried about the establishment of the imperial court in Chang'an, he returned to Guanzhong, a place with fertile fields and the Wei River, and returned to the situation a few years ago when locust plagues invaded and soldiers from Liangzhou invaded.
They were worried that Bingzhou and Youzhou would be abandoned by the aristocratic families in the central government because of their location in the border areas. As a result, they were often invaded by foreign barbarians for many years and frequently faced life-and-death dangers.
I am worried that Yangzhou and Jiaozhou will return to the situation of civil strife among the Shanyue and Nanman.
She was also worried that every citizen who had survived the natural disaster would be deprived of their land again, driven like cattle and horses, and forget all the knowledge she had taught and guided, and become an existence that would not be recorded in every war or every tax!
Since she doesn't trust anyone else to hold the position of supreme authority in the world, then she has to be the only one to do it!
Only in this way, when she intends to form a team that can check and balance the aristocratic families, can she have an endless supply of strength and manpower to back her up.
This is such an easy to understand truth.
But it is also a cruel truth for the Han people.
If Xun Yu had not seen the scene after the people were enlightened, he might not have hesitated so much. I am afraid he would have immediately and sternly explained the principles of monarch and ministers in front of Qiao Yan.
However, in his mind, which could not have had a bad memory, the contrast between the scenes inside and outside Luoyang during last year's epidemic seemed as if it had happened yesterday.
He suddenly felt a blockage in his throat for a moment, so that when he spoke, his voice sounded like some kind of sophistry, "The Grand Marshal can rule the world together with the Han Dynasty, there is no need to..."
It doesn't have to come to the point of swords fighting.
But before he could finish the second half of his sentence, Qiao Yan interrupted him, "Xun Wenruo, you are already thirty years old, why are you still so naive?"
"If there is such a thing as co-ruling the world, why did even the Duke of Zhou flee to Chu for a time? Besides, I am not the Duke of Zhou, and Prince Yang is not King Cheng of Zhou!"
Xun Yu: “…”
Qiao Yan's sudden attack on her age made Xun Yu stunned, but the meaning of her words was indeed not wrong at all.
Her next sentence left Xun Yu speechless.
All I heard was Qiao Yan asking, "Wen Ruo, excuse me for asking one more question. What do you think you can accept, that I and the Han Dynasty rule the world together, or... that the aristocratic families and the Han Dynasty rule the world together?"
"I thought the Lord would insist on him giving a reply before letting him go."
As Qiao Yan was staring at Xun Yu's departing back, he heard someone speaking beside him.
She turned around and saw Xu Shu sitting where Xun Yu had just sat.
The experience of staying in Hanzhong for several years and then fighting in Shu made him more independent after returning this time.
He arrived earlier than Xun Yu just now, but retreated behind the screen because of Xun Yu's visit, so he heard the conversation between the two clearly.
So he also clearly heard that when Qiao Yan asked the question "the aristocratic families and the Han Dynasty rule the world together", Xun Yu fell into an even longer silence. Only the tea stove on the table between Qiao Yan and Xun Yu, which was still on, was making the sound of boiling water.
This is indeed an extremely cold and straightforward question.
Is he obsessed with the Han Dynasty, or the class relations that the Han families are accustomed to, combined with an idealized world?
In the years before he entered officialdom, he lived in Yingchuan and built up his reputation. In this academic environment, he accumulated knowledge of Confucian classics and old political cases. After Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia successively took up official posts in Bingzhou and the situation in the world changed greatly due to the death of Emperor Ling of Han, he traveled around to observe the people's livelihood.
However, the class he belonged to and the evaluation he received when he was young as a talent who could assist the king had already placed him in a position far higher than ordinary people.
Being in such a position, he was bound to isolate some of the sounds from his front, and was also bound to...
Some overly idealistic things will not take root in this miserable land.
If all the children from aristocratic families had abilities like Xun Yu and Chen Qun, and the scum among them could be eliminated in a feasible way, then this kind of "co-governance" might not be impossible, and the current chaos in the Han Dynasty might be able to be re-established after the royal power was weakened.
But the fact that people have selfish desires is enough to weaken this possibility to an infinitesimal level, and makes Xun Yu's appeal something that is hard to say whether it is naive or desperate.
So Qiao Yan then said three sentences to Xun Yu.
"Wen Ruo has understood the previous metaphor of hungry wolf and hungry tiger very well."
Once the appetite of the aristocratic families grows, they will not only devour the people's things, but also the royal family's things.
Xun Yu can adhere to this moral standard for himself, but he cannot impose such rules on everyone.
At that time, he will inevitably become the one who betrays his class.
"I am no longer on the same side as the noble family. At most, we can achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, but not symbiosis. Please make sure to make this distinction clear to me."
Qiao Yan did come from a noble family, but perhaps ever since she developed a path in Bingzhou that no one had expected, she could no longer be regarded as a representative of the children of noble families, but should be regarded as another independent existence.
Therefore, having the aristocratic families rule the world together with the Han Dynasty might be the aspiration of the century-old aristocratic families in the world, but it would never be what Qiao Yan wanted.
In Zhong Changtong's words, or rather his response, these facts were revealed, and another of Qiao Yan's intentions was also expressed -
What she wants is talents from thousands of households, not a group of scholars from the Yingchuan, Nanyang, or Hebei factions.
If the noble families could not keep up with her, and instead tried to stop her by sticking to those old rules, in the face of the overwhelming propaganda power of printing, they no longer had to consider stopping her through public opinion.
They had failed to stop the expansion of her power before, and it was impossible for them to do so now.
"Whether what I said is correct or not, Wen Ruo has her own judgment in her heart. You are also very clear whether your plan is feasible or not, so -"
"I'll give you three days to think it through and make a decision."
I hope Xun Yu’s final choice will not disappoint her.
She doesn't have much time left.
Whether it was the negotiations and alliances in Chang'an City that were conducted away from the public eye, or the waves caused by the publication of the Leping Monthly's January issue, they all forced her to make her first real confrontation as quickly as possible.
Before this confrontation, she would never allow those who could see the crux of the problem to stand on a different side from her.
Qiao Yan doesn't need to worry about people like Cheng Yu, Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia and Xu Shu. The only problems are Xun Yu, Chen Qun and others.
Chen Qun did not come to him like Xun Yu did, but it did not necessarily mean that he was still kept in the dark. It could also be that he was waiting for someone to take the lead in setting an example in terms of position.
In this case, Xun Yu’s choice becomes particularly important.
Facing Xu Shu's question about why he didn't let Xun Yu give a reply on the spot, Qiao Yan smiled and said, "With Xun Wenruo's eloquence and knowledge, is it true that he can't refute a single word I just said?"
"In this world, the facts in front of us are always more touching than the so-called verbal promises."
This was the situation Xun Yu faced.
Two years of living in Guanzhong and two years of governing Luoyang allowed Xun Yu to see more clearly what Qiao Yan had done and what life was like under Qiao Yan's rule than when he traveled abroad in his early years or even lived in Xuzhou.
He was also very clear that what Qiao Yan said about her not being of the same mind as the aristocratic families was not an obstacle to those with both virtue and knowledge, but rather a help.
The four hundred years of Han heritage would certainly not be erased from his heart overnight, but after he saw with his own eyes that the people of Luoyang could go from recognizing maps to recognizing words, and displayed an unprecedented momentum in the implementation of government policies, as a genius who was smart and far-sighted enough, did he really only think about the path of self-destruction?
Qiao Yan continued, "To be honest with Yuan Zhi, if Xun Wenruo had no intention of surrendering, I would never have let him leave here alive, nor would I have let his choice become a trend that led more people to oppose me. I can always introduce another benchmark after he disappears, such as Yang Dezuo from the Hongnong Yang family."
"In these three days, rather than giving him some time to think, I was telling him in another way that I am not the kind of person who will chase him down without leaving any room for him. If the day comes when we have to fight, I will leave enough dignity for him."
Whether it is Liu Xie who is holding the jade seal at this moment, or Liu Yu who is sick due to the dilemma, she will give them a good ending.
The decline and fall of the Han Dynasty was certainly inevitable, but at least it was not as tragic as the fall of the Qin Dynasty.
"Your Excellency is a kind person." Xu Shu replied.
Qiao Yan laughed when he heard this. "Yuanzhi, you don't need to compliment me at this time. Everyone can see clearly whether I am an ambitious person or a philanthropist."
This "great people" certainly does not refer to the people who still feel that she is suffering from the rumors about celestial phenomena, but to the people with a discerning eye who have seen the inevitability of the change in the situation and those in the Chang'an court who want to get rid of her as soon as possible.
Xu Shu shook his head. "To judge whether a person is kind or not, you don't have to look at such power struggles. I came to Luoyang from Hanzhong, but I didn't go to Chang'an. Instead, I went to Nanyang in Jingzhou and Yingchuan in Yuzhou first."
"Nanyang and Yingchuan are both around Luoyang, and they are not much different from Luoyang, which is no longer a capital. They may even be more suitable for living because of the pressure of a small population and the threat of war. But I realized the difference when I came to Luoyang. If it weren't for the backbone like you, there would be no place like this today."
Xu Shu did not mean to exaggerate or flatter when he said this.
He has followed Qiao Yan for more than eleven years and sees the contrast from nothing to something much more clearly than Xun Yu.
In the past, Qiao Yan still had to face the exiled remnants of the Yellow Turbans and said that she was not qualified to sympathize with others. But today, Qiao Yan has to bear the burden of the Nine Provinces, and even the future Thirteen Provinces.
Despite such a burden, she still moved forward steadily enough, acting as a guiding light for those under her command.
Long before Xun Yu came to visit, Xu Shu had already received a clear answer from Qiao Yan that "something will happen". It was not known whether it was because the scenery he saw along the way connected all the experiences of the past eleven years together, or because he had already realized it, but after learning the news, he not only did not feel the fear of changing the world, but instead felt a calmness with a settled mind.
He looked at the tea stove in front of him that was still steaming, and at Qiao Yan who was sitting opposite him, and said, "It's something that everyone wants, why would you call it treason?"
Xu Shu believed that Qiao Yan would handle these problems well.
All he had to do was to stand firm at this moment and then complete all the tasks entrusted to him by Qiao Yan.
The situation they were facing now was many times better than when he first realized that Qiao Yan had such a competitive idea.
At that time, Qiao Yan had just arranged for him to go to Wudu County and led him across the Yellow River to look up at the starry sky and the moon on the mountains on Wushaoling Mountain in the extremely cold night.
At that time, they only had the ambition to swallow up mountains and rivers, but they were far from having the ability to conquer the world.
But now, they have both the opportunity and the hard conditions.
Now all we have to wait for is the opportunity to strike back.
Qiao Yan did not give a positive or negative response to his statement of "popular support". Such a statement could not come out of her mouth anyway. She just turned to talk about the situation in Shu, which she had not yet finished discussing with Xu Shu.
Shortly after Zhang Jin of Jiaozhou rebelled this year, Fa Zheng followed her orders and went to Jiaozhou to persuade Shi Xie to surrender, and then returned to the territory of Yizhou.
Poor Meng Huo, who had acted as a bodyguard for Fa Zheng when he met Shi Xie, only realized at this time that when he was released by Fa Zheng, Wang Yi, Yao Chang and others from Zangke County had not yet decided the outcome with his Yi tribe.
If he had not been deceived by Fa Zheng's pretended calm attitude at that time and returned to the tribe as quickly as possible, he might have had a chance to turn the tables thanks to the presence of his leader.
But if I go back now, it will be too late.
What Fa Zheng brought back from Jiaozhou was not only the lobbying credit for successfully persuading Shi Xie, but also the Jiaozhi County soldiers sent by Shi Xie to show the sincerity of the alliance.
These soldiers have been dealing with the uncivilized barbarians in Jiuzhen County and Rinnan County for many years, and now they are good at dealing with the southern barbarians of Yizhou.
Not to mention, long before Meng Huo followed Fa Zheng back to Zangke County, Yao Chang had already captured Meng Huo's wife under the guidance of Wang Yi.
There was a precedent of Yao Chang, a Qiang woman, being appointed as General of the Central Army. Wang Yi was also a military strategist who was very good at observing psychology. It didn't take long for the Yi woman named Acuo, also known as Madam Zhurong, to be persuaded.
Her reply was that once they could confirm that the leader Meng Huo was indeed taken to Jiaozhou to gain experience as they said, and was not secretly executed by them, they would be able to switch to the other side.
Before Meng Huo had time to understand the current situation, he had already become the catalyst for the alliance between the Yi people and the defenders of Zangke County.
At this point, there was no way to say that he was fooled by Fa Zheng, because the Jiaozhou soldiers were watching him covetously.
The only thing he could do was to capture Bandunman and Yongkai to save his face.
However, whether they can take the credit first probably depends on who is stronger between this local couple and Yao Chang and Wang Yi.
Fa Zheng would probably also impose some reasonable controls on their military exploits to prevent the Yi people from becoming too powerful.
"The Xiongnu, Xianbei, Qiang, Nanman, Shanyue, Wuhuan... At present, we have more and more foreign forces under our command. In order to prevent chaos, it is best to clearly standardize a set of rules and regulations, as well as the way for the Han people and foreigners to get along with each other. The exchanges between the Western Region forces west of the Hexi Corridor and the four counties of Hexi are also increasing. There will always be a time to continue to deepen the connection, and we must also pay more attention."
"If conditions permit after a while, I'll publish a separate book, but there will probably be too many authors for this book."
The phrase "after a while" made Xu Shu smile knowingly, and he then asked, "Then I wonder which book Chang Yan will print next?"
Qiao Yan had already considered this question, so he didn't need to think too much before replying, "Before, there was no room for compromise or concession, but now it's a balance, but the concessions are limited."
“I plan to print the Political Theory by Cui Zizhen of Qinghe Cui family and the Chinese Language by Mr. Ciming.”
Xu Shu read the two books mentioned by Qiao Yan and immediately understood what Qiao Yan meant by "there are concessions but not much".
Cui Shi of Qinghe Cui family and Xun Shuang of Yingchuan Xun family were both from aristocratic families and spread their works throughout the world. It was as if Qiao Yan was giving the aristocratic families a sweet date after slapping them in the face. However, a closer look revealed that the sugar in the date was mixed with water.
Cui Shi and Xun Shuang had both passed away, and the benefits to the family from spreading their fame would be quite limited.
Not to mention, both books are pretty nuanced in their content.
Cui Shi was indeed a descendant of an aristocratic family, but he died in extreme poverty, with almost no money left for his burial. Apart from agricultural classics such as "Monthly Ordinances for the Four Classes of People", an important idea he conveyed in "Political Discourse" was to base the economy on agriculture and adjust the ratio of population to arable land. In terms of considering the official system, some of his views were very similar to those of Zhong Changtong.
However, Xun Shuang's "Hanyu" is a collection of stories about success, failure, rise and fall in the history of the Han Dynasty, and is not a standard academic work.
Theoretically speaking, both of Qiao Yan's choices have taken a step back from the groundbreaking state of her previous book "Chang Yan", but from the practical significance of these two books, she is clearly taking a step further.
But in the face of her increasingly tightened right to speech, this choice can only be defined as "concession."
After receiving this reply, Xu Shu was able to confirm that the various responses in Chang'an did not cause Qiao Yan to make any mistakes in his actions.
When it comes to making decisions on the overall situation, she remains consistently calm.
Even so, Wang Yun and others' "repaying kindness with enmity" still makes people feel a sense of sadness that the building is about to collapse.
But no matter how sad it is, we still have to celebrate the New Year.
After saying goodbye to Qiao Yan, Xu Shu went to see his mother. He used Cai Zhaoji's explanation, "The world is not yet settled, so how can I take care of my family?" to evade his mother's question about whether he had met someone he liked in Hanzhong.
The result of doing this is -
He was originally given a half-month vacation when he came to report on his work, but now Qin Yu felt that since he was single and had plenty of time, he might as well help her with government affairs. After obtaining Qiao Yan's permission, she directly conscripted Xu Shu.
Xu Shu was so exhausted that he could not even cry. Fortunately, he caught up with Xun Yu's opportunity to give a reply after thinking for three days. He was able to escape under the pretext of adding a few more words of lobbying on behalf of the lord.
Xun Yu didn't know about the exchange between Xu Shu and Qin Yu. Qiao Yan said that he would have three days to think about it, so he really closed the door and refused to see visitors for three days. During these three days, he thought about his experiences and observations in the past thirty-three years, the books he read, and the exchanges with the elders and the younger generations. At this moment, he had already made up his mind. Seeing Xu Shu coming to him, he said first: "There is no need to say more, Governor Xu. Xun Yu is not a pedantic person. Otherwise, when he was forced to marry the daughter of a eunuch and attracted criticism, he should have committed suicide to prove his innocence."
"Since the Grand Marshal has the heart of a wise ruler, why can't Xun Yu be a loyal subject?"
This phrase, "a wise ruler and loyal ministers", is the clearest answer possible.
Xu Shu clapped his hands and smiled, "That's good. With this statement, Feng Xiao and Zhi Cai can breathe a sigh of relief."
Since Qiao Yan's guess about Xun Yu's position was correct, then the statement that if Xun Yu could not be used by her, he would disappear was obviously not a casual statement.
But Xun Yu was, after all, a friend of Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai, and the uncle of Xun You. He was also a man of extraordinary talent. It would be a pity if he lost his life because of this difference in stance.
Fortunately, the results are now reassuring.
While the two were talking, they had already walked outside Qiao Yan's residence. However, before they reached the door, Xun Yu saw three familiar figures at the other end of the long street.
The two generals walked side by side. Although there was some difference in their height, they both had equally majestic aura.
The father and daughter were in a confrontational attitude while walking, as if they were arguing about something.
The young man who was traveling with them looked at the sky helplessly, and when he turned his gaze back to the front, he happened to meet Xun Yu's gaze. Recognizing the identity of the figure in the distance, he immediately showed a bit of joy, and quickened his pace in a rare and calm manner.
Upon seeing this scene, Xun Yu's expression couldn't help but soften a little.
Who else could the young man who appeared in his sight be but Zhuge Liang?
As for the two generals, one big and one small, they were Lu Bu and Lu Lingju who also returned from Youzhou.
"Come to think of it," Xun Yu asked as he walked, "I remember the Grand Marshal said that the group coming to Luoyang to report on their duties would be three people, but if you are included, there will be four people coming back at once?"
This seems to be somewhat inconsistent with the rules given by Qiao Yan?
Xu Shu was silent for a moment, and before the three men came to him, he whispered, "Your Excellency said that everyone knows what the people who applied for the recall to report on their duties are thinking, except for the two Generals Lu. The two of them can't figure out a single idea, so..."
"It doesn't hurt to count it as one person first."
Xun Yu: “…”
This reason is really...
It really fits Qiao Yan's style!
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