A tentative conversation made Li Jue feel a great deal of goodwill towards the humble and polite young prefect in front of him.
At this moment, Zhang Ji also came over, facing Xun You with a smile and said, "Prefect Xun, let's move to the living room to talk!"
Xun You nodded slightly, "Please!"
After the group sat down in the living room, Xun You looked at Zhang Xiu, who was standing next to Zhang Ji, and said, "Your nephew is young and brave. I recently submitted a memorial to His Majesty recommending him for the position of Imperial Guard. I expect His Majesty's decree will arrive in a few days!"
Xun You's words were full of confidence, because in his correspondence with Liu Hong, Liu Hong had asked him to pay attention to this Zhang Xiu. After a period of observation, Xun You was certain that Zhang Xiu was a passionate young man with superb martial arts skills, and would surely win the emperor's favor.
"In that case, thank you for the recommendation, Prefect Xun!"
Zhang Ji was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly pulled Zhang Xiu up to thank Xun You. Xun You was a protégé of the emperor and had risen from a county magistrate to a prefectural governor in just over half a year. Although his talent was indispensable, the most important reason was that he was highly regarded by the emperor.
With Xun You's recommendation, it was no surprise that Zhang Xiu was summoned to be a Yulin Lang (a type of imperial guard).
"Xiu, thank you for your kindness, Prefect!"
Zhang Xiu was also extremely excited. A member of the Imperial Guard, the emperor's personal army—what an honor! It was incredibly appealing to a young man his age.
Xun You quickly stood up and smiled, "Recommending talents for His Majesty is our duty as ministers, there's no need for you two to be so polite!"
After some polite exchanges, the group sat down again.
Li Jue cupped his hands in greeting to Xun You. "Prefect Xun, before I came here, the Marquis of Dingbian instructed me to obey all your arrangements. I wonder if Prefect Xun has any further plans?"
Xun You said slowly, "I received this letter from His Majesty yesterday. It stated that about a month from now, a caravan escorted by two hundred Imperial Guards will arrive here and then head to the Western Regions for trade!"
Li Jue looked at Xun You in surprise. He did not expect that this man would have the same treatment as his general Duan Jiong, and could also communicate directly with the emperor.
What Li Jue didn't know was that not only Xun You, but also the scholars Liu Hong sent to serve as local officials, such as Yang Biao, Zhuge Gui, Chen Qun, and those from poor families, were all granted the right to communicate directly with him. This allowed Liu Hong to communicate with them directly and make arrangements.
Li Jue nodded and looked at Xun You, "I wonder what Your Majesty's meaning is?"
"Leave the pass to suppress bandits! Open up trade routes!"
Xun You took out several intelligence reports about bandits outside Yumen Pass and handed them to Li Jue.
"no problem!"
Upon receiving Xun You's intelligence, Li Jue nodded. In his view, a thousand elite Xiliang cavalrymen could easily wipe out a mere band of horse bandits.
Zhang Xiu, who was standing nearby, also quickly stood up and bowed to Xun You, saying, "Prefect, I also wish to follow Commander Li out of the pass! I hope the Prefect will grant my request!"
Xun You smiled slightly, but did not reply. Instead, he looked at Zhang Ji beside him.
Zhang Ji understood, looked at Zhang Xiu, and said loudly, "Xiu'er, on your journey, you must follow Li Sima's arrangements in everything and must not act rashly!"
"promise!"
Zhang Xiu's face lit up with joy, and he quickly nodded in agreement.
Subsequently, Xun You, Li Jue, and Zhang Ji discussed and made arrangements for some details.
After resting for a day in Dunhuang, Zhang Xiu followed Li Jue and led the Liangzhou cavalry, who had changed into the uniforms of the commandery and state soldiers, away from Dunhuang and headed towards Yumen Pass.
In Hejian, ever since Liu Hong sent Jian Shuo to visit his birth mother and pay off his old debts, Liu Hong's reputation has once again spread far and wide after being told by Zhang Qian and the common people.
With the embellishment and retelling by some people, the scholars and students who heard about this all praised the emperor for being respectful, virtuous, filial, and trustworthy, which greatly boosted Liu Hong's reputation among the gentry and common people.
In Deyang Palace, Zhao Zhong was reporting to Liu Hong about the latest developments in Luoyang.
"Your Majesty, according to Commandant Yang's report, there have been no rumors in Luoyang recently, but a few strangers did come to Luoyang two months ago."
What's the background of those strangers?
"From Jizhou!"
"Jizhou?"
Upon hearing Zhao Zhong's report, Liu Hong frowned. It seemed that Ji Province was indeed not peaceful.
Then Liu Hong looked at Zhao Zhong and asked, "Any progress on Lü Qiang's side?"
Zhao Zhonggong said respectfully, "Attendant Lü has identified several recent entrants to the palace, but so far no suspicious signs have been found!"
"After all this time, is this all you've found?"
More than ten days have passed since he ordered the investigation, and yet there are still no leads. Liu Hong was getting annoyed, and then looked at Zhao Zhong, saying coldly:
"Go tell Yang Qiu and Lü Qiang to secretly take those people into custody. They must find out their background as soon as possible! How can I trust them with such low efficiency?"
"Furthermore, summon the Imperial Guard Supervisor, A-Jin, to an audience!"
"promise!"
Zhao Zhong shuddered involuntarily, and after accepting the order, he hurriedly left.
After Zhao Zhong left, Xi Zhicai looked at Liu Hong and said softly, "Your Majesty, Commandant Yang and Attendant Lü have always been loyal and obedient to Your Majesty's orders. Were your words just now somewhat... inappropriate?"
Liu Hong nodded. "Zhi Cai is right. I know their loyalty and ability. Yang Qiu admires Legalism and acts in accordance with the law in everything. Lü Qiang is cautious and meticulous in his work."
"Then why does Your Majesty still ask?" Xi Zhicai asked, somewhat puzzled.
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