In the north of Luoyang, several city gate guards stood upright at the city gate, watching the endless stream of people with smiles on their lips.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from not far away, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
"A great victory! A great victory for our army!"
A messenger was seen rushing towards Luoyang, shouting about a great victory.
"Where has this great victory come from?? I'm getting numb all year; it feels like our Han Dynasty is fighting a war every single day!!"
A scholar dressed as a scholar, seeing the messenger rushing towards him, couldn't help but nudge his companion, Zang Yan.
"Sigh~ You're right. If you went to the border, you would know that our Han Dynasty is indeed at war every day. You and I should be grateful that we were born here and haven't been affected by the war!"
As the messenger bringing news of victory drew ever closer, Zang Yan's eyes gleamed.
"Yes! If it weren't for the protection of the border soldiers, we probably wouldn't be living such a peaceful life!"
The student nodded with deep feeling. Those around him, hearing the conversation, looked toward the border with reverence and stepped aside to make way for the approaching messenger.
Soon the messenger arrived at the city gate. Seeing the Han people gathered there, he pulled on the reins and circled around once, then took out a battle report from his pocket.
The messenger, holding a battle report, shouted: "A great victory in Bingzhou!! General Zhang Huan, Protector of the Xiongnu, dispatched Military Advisor Lü Bu with 5,000 troops to repel the invading enemy from beyond the Great Wall. The enemy was completely annihilated, 3,000 heads were taken, and a mound of skulls was built!!"
"Welcome the messenger into the city and take him to the palace immediately!!"
Upon seeing this, the captain of the guard hurriedly called over a subordinate and led the messenger into the city, heading towards the palace. As they ran, they shouted that they had achieved a great victory.
"What...what did he just say? Building a mound of Jing?"
After the messenger left, the people who remained felt their minds go blank.
They had never seen a Jingguan (a mound of heads) before, but they had heard of it. It was usually only used as a deterrent when two countries were locked in a life-or-death struggle. Was this the prelude to a war between nations?
Which country is at war with? Where did this uncivilized enemy come from?
Immediately, everyone started talking about it.
Since tomorrow is November, and the grand court assembly will be held at the beginning of the month, many matters require the emperor and the three dukes to hold a small meeting to set an agenda, and then to symbolically consult the opinions of the officials at the grand court assembly.
Grand Tutor Chen Fan, Grand Commandant Li Ying, Minister of Works Hu Guang, Minister of Agriculture Yuan Feng, General Dou Wu, Minister of Agriculture Cao Song, Minister of Justice Xun Shuang, Commandant of the Capital Region Yang Qiu, as well as the newly appointed Commander of the Imperial Guards Song Feng and Grand Herald Yang Ci, these top officials of the court gathered in Deyang Palace and sat around a brazier prepared for them by Liu Hong, chatting and laughing with each other!
Because it was still early, Liu Hong was having breakfast at Empress Dowager Dou's place!
"Oh my, Grand Tutor, it's been so long! You look to be in good health!"
Cao Song, dressed in a cotton coat and with a ruddy complexion, approached Chen Fan with a smile, and also pushed Li Ying aside.
Li Ying merely glared at Cao Song sideways, then shifted his position to make room for Cao Song, clearly not wanting to pay any attention to this unruly Minister of Agriculture.
"Haha~, thank goodness! It's all thanks to the careful treatment from the doctors at the medical school, otherwise this old man would be on his way to meet Brother Li and the others!"
Chen Fan stroked his white beard with a smile. Having recovered from his serious illness, he was finally able to return to the court, and Chen Fan was clearly in a good mood at the moment.
Cao Song chuckled and said, "Grand Tutor, you flatter me. You are His Majesty's right-hand man; you should assist His Majesty for at least another thirty years!"
Now that you are well, His Majesty's burden can be greatly lightened!
"Alas, it's all our fault for being incompetent! We can't share His Majesty's burdens! The affairs of the Han Dynasty all rest on His Majesty's shoulders, it's truly a hardship for His Majesty!!"
After listening to Cao Song's words, Chen Fan looked at the mountain of memorials piled up on the emperor's desk and couldn't help but sigh, a look of heartache flashing in his eyes.
"The Grand Tutor is right! I've heard that His Majesty is busy until late at night every day before he goes to rest. How can His Majesty, at such a young age, possibly keep up like this?"
Situ Hu Guang also looked worried. It was a good thing that the young emperor was diligent in his duties, but if he overworked himself and fell ill, the loss to the Han Dynasty would be too great!
"Hmph~, isn't it because the officials are incompetent and hold their positions without doing their jobs? Otherwise, why would His Majesty personally handle every matter?"
Li Ying, who was not far away, couldn't help but snort coldly. Although Liu Hong lifted the ban on the partisans and promoted a large number of partisans and poor scholars, including some capable people, in order to appease the public, most officials in the court were still empty talkers and mediocre people.
Not to mention the emperor, even these bigwigs are overwhelmed with government affairs every day, keeping them incredibly busy.
"The Grand Commandant is right. Those incompetent people hold high positions but do nothing. They require His Majesty and the officials to worry about everything and offer them advice. They are indeed useless!"
Yang Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly, and his words revealed a hint of murderous intent. He was extremely annoyed by those officials who lacked even the basic ability to handle government affairs. Whenever they encountered a problem, they would write memorials for instructions and even ask the emperor for advice.
Sometimes Yang Qiu even began to wonder if they were doing this on purpose, trying to work the emperor to death.
"The Commandant of the Capital Region is right. The officialdom does indeed need a overhaul! Those incompetent officials must be expelled as soon as possible!!"
The Minister of Justice, Xun Shuang, echoed this sentiment. Since taking office, Xun Shuang had handled and punished numerous officials, and he deeply understood that for an official to fail to act was the greatest crime against the court and the Han Dynasty!
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
