Chapter 73, Section 4: Strange Things
Wen Qiao stood there, leaning on the red gate, facing the two men.
Because Suo Lin had previously been all-powerful, Liu Jun came with great force. In order to temporarily avoid the limelight, he used the excuse of his mother's death and the mourning period.
He was originally from Bingzhou and was also Liu Kun's nephew. Although he was in mourning, he spent most of his time staying in Liu Kun's staff and taking the opportunity to find out about his not-so-familiar cousin.
As a result, from Liu Kun himself down to his household servants, the evaluations of him were nothing more than "filial piety and brotherly love", "quick-witted and eager to learn", "decisive in action", "brave and diligent", and "pure and desireless", which was surprisingly consistent and also consistent with his previous memories.
In short, it wasn't the disheveled, flushed-faced vagrant in front of him.
Liu Jun's high regard for Wen Qiao was self-evident, but he never expected that their reunion would be such an embarrassing scene. Without the slightest hesitation, he covered his face with his sleeve, hurriedly pulled the quilt over himself, and collapsed to the ground.
Wen Qiao had not yet recovered from his shock and anger, and was startled by his behavior.
Not only Wen Qiao, but even Sima Ye was momentarily clueless about Liu Jun's intentions, and stared at him dumbly.
Liu Jun said mournfully, "His Majesty did not force me; everything was voluntary. Brother-in-law, please do not blame His Majesty!"
His words were sincere and earnest. Sima Ye opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then heard Liu Jun choke up, "My brother-in-law must think that a fine man should submit to others, which is despicable. But His Majesty has treated me very well, and there are impoverished soldiers and civilians in Bingzhou waiting for the court's aid. I have no choice but to comply..."
Wen Qiao shifted his gaze from Liu Jun, who was tall, strong, and handsome, to Sima Ye, who was beautiful and delicate, and was momentarily at a loss for words.
"That's not true, you..." Although he wanted to refute, Sima Ye's skin was not as thick as Liu Jun's, who had been through thick and thin in the army and was used to talking nonsense. He couldn't come up with a coherent sentence.
Wen Qiao was an extremely intelligent man; how could he not see the situation before him? However, the scene was truly awkward, and he didn't know how to react, so he could only remain silent.
Liu Jun lowered his sleeves and pleaded with Wen Qiao with a sorrowful expression, "My father has high hopes for me. Please keep this a secret, brother-in-law. Do not tell him. If he finds out that I was... I will not live!"
Wen Qiao thought that Liu Kun had also favored actors in the past, and even beat Liu Jun half to death. Even if he heard about this, Liu Jun had many children, and this homosexual relationship was just a refined pleasure. Why would he punish him?
But ultimately, one cannot criticize one's elders, so one can only swallow one's words silently.
Sima Ye finally managed to regain a voice, "Taizhen, Yanshi was just joking. I only shared a bed with him and discussed state affairs."
Wen Qiao forced a smile and said, "It is truly rare that Your Majesty and Yanshi are still so compatible after so many years."
Liu Jun, having tidied his appearance, stood up and said with a smile, "His Majesty was just discussing with me that someone as talented as my brother-in-law should not be left idle. While the Secretariat is indeed important, it would be like cooking a chicken in an oxen cauldron for my brother-in-law."
"I intend to appoint Taizhen as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. What do you think?"
In this dynasty, only high-ranking officials and powerful figures hold the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. For example, Suo Lin is currently the deputy Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, a position that is extremely prestigious. Given Wen Qiao's age, this is a rare privilege.
Wen Qiao showed no joy, and then heard Liu Jun say, "That's exactly why I disagreed with His Majesty. Suo Lin is arrogant and domineering. Even if my brother-in-law goes to the Ministry of Personnel, he will still be at the mercy of others. He might as well be the Grand Secretary."
Since the Cao Wei dynasty, the Secretariat has always been close to the emperor, in charge of imperial edicts and official documents. Its prestige and power have gradually become comparable to that of the Department of State Affairs. Xun Xu, Sima Ye's maternal grandfather, served as the Director of the Secretariat for more than 20 years. Even after being promoted to Minister of State Affairs, he was still dissatisfied and said, "You all congratulate me for taking away my Phoenix Pool!"
It's not entirely Sima Ye's fault. After all, Cao Mao had been emperor for six years. Although the Cao Wei dynasty was controlled by the Sima family, the court was still relatively orderly, so he was naturally aware of these established customs. However, Sima Ye's empire was fragmented, and his court was incomplete, filled with powerful clans and generals with large armies. The three departments were practically non-existent, so he had no idea about the intricacies of the situation.
Upon hearing this, Wen Qiao laughed and said, "What Yanshi said is correct. I am willing to serve Your Majesty as a scribe in the Privy Council, rather than go to the Ministry of Personnel to suffer the wrath of that old scoundrel."
When he mentioned the words "old thief," his tone was playful, without much hostility. Liu Jun immediately understood, and with Wen Qiao's intelligence, he probably guessed the tacit understanding between himself and Suo Lin.
"Now that my brother-in-law has returned, I can go to war with peace of mind." Liu Jun had finished packing and was a proud and aloof young talent. He turned around and waved to Sima Ye.
Having achieved his goal, Sima Ye no longer cared that he, as an emperor, was summoned by his subjects and stepped forward with a smile.
Under Wen Qiao's strange gaze, Liu Jun, without batting an eye, tied Sima Ye's hair and put on his crown, then smoothed out his clothes: "Your Majesty worked hard last night, please rest well today."
He then turned to Wen Qiao and asked, "Brother-in-law, would you like to have a private conversation with His Majesty, or would you like to take your leave?"
Feeling it was inappropriate to stay in this situation, Wen Qiao said without hesitation, "I will return to my residence to settle my family first, and will come to see Your Majesty again tomorrow."
He nodded at Sima Ye, who smiled and said, "There's no rush in court affairs. I'll grant Taizhen three days of rest, and it won't be too late for him to enter the palace afterward."
He looked at Liu Jun with tender affection and said, "I will host a banquet to welcome Tai Zhen, and you must also accompany me. My virtuous brother and I will not leave until we are drunk."
Liu Jun took his hand and said softly, "How dare I disobey?"
Wen Qiao was no ordinary man after all, and he actually smiled and agreed. The two brothers packed their bags and left the palace side by side.
"His Majesty has awakened. You may go in and attend to him." Liu Jun nodded to Guan Tong and the other palace servants.
The two walked silently to the palace gate. Wen Qiao invited Liu Jun to get into the carriage, and Liu Jun did not refuse. After the curtain was lowered, Liu Jun's smile disappeared, revealing an undisguised weariness and gloom.
Wen Qiao raised an eyebrow at him, "Careless?"
Liu Jun sighed and recounted Sima Ye's account in detail, "Now it seems that his so-called schemes are somewhat inexplicable and completely untenable."
Wen Qiao sized him up. "How much do you remember about last night?"
“There were only fragmented memories before I passed out,” Liu Jun shook his head in shame. “It seemed like something was put in the spring wine. When I woke up again, that was the scene… I even wondered if nothing had happened at all, and if it was all an act to lure me into a trap.”
“Now that you are on good terms with Suo Lin, His Majesty is naturally worried. Apart from using the Du and Xun clans to counter you, the only thing he can do is to completely win you over,” Wen Qiao had taught Sima Ye for ten years and knew him quite well. “There is another possibility: he is worried that one day you will be unwilling to be subordinate to others, and perhaps being subordinate to you is also a way of protecting yourself.”
Liu Jun coughed repeatedly, trying to figure out how to respond, when Wen Qiao said quietly, "Do you know how?"
"As the Wu man Taishi Ci once said, a great man born in a chaotic world should carry a three-foot sword and achieve unparalleled feats. I deeply agree with this," Liu Jun said meaningfully.
Wen Qiao smiled gently, "We'll wait and see."
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