I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 332: General Huo Guang has fallen. How should we and Huo’s party respond? (Please subscribe)

In the study room of Ren Palace in the back house of the Prime Minister's Mansion, the atmosphere was solemn.

When the prime minister Ren Gong and Taichang Lecheng sat across the table, they both looked sad.

The tea on the table had already cooled down, and the cups were full of water. Neither of them took a sip.

In the past half hour, they first exchanged information that they had sent people to find out, and then they kept sighing.

The current situation in Chang'an City puts them in a very embarrassing situation.

"In two days, it will be the day of the small court meeting again. If the general really goes to the greenhouse hall to go to court, how will you and I deal with ourselves?" Lecheng asked again.

Previously, the emperor's edict made it very clear that the two of them would be given three months' probation, but it did not mention whether they could "reinstate their duties immediately" if they "recovered early."

At that time, Ren Gong and Lecheng did report their illness together with the general. Who knew that the general would really fall ill later.

This made them feel guilty - upon closer inspection, the general was sick from overwork, and they were deceiving the emperor.

Now, the general has recovered from his illness and wants to return to the court; they immediately follow up and say that he has recovered from his illness and will return to the court - this is a bit too ugly.

Once someone makes a fuss about this matter and writes a few articles of impeachment, and the emperor investigates again, everything will be over, so they are so worried.

"Le Gong, I'm afraid this matter won't be easy to handle." Ren Gong sighed.

"Is this how the general..." Le Cheng was speechless for a moment, and then he said, "Is this how the general reconciled with the county magistrate?"

"This is not a reconciliation. I'm afraid the general had to make a decision due to the kindness and power of the county magistrate."

"You mean the general... was defeated?" Le Cheng's eyes widened in horror.

Ren Gong nodded reluctantly.

This time, no matter how much benefit the Huo family gained on the surface, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the general was defeated this time.

"I also heard that at this court meeting, the general will ask the emperor to take charge." Ren Gong said.

"Seriously?" Le Cheng asked.

"It's almost the same. Even if the general can keep his position as the general of Sima, his status in the court may not be as good as before."

"If this happens... the situation in the Han Dynasty will really change." Le Cheng suddenly collapsed.

"Not only is the sky about to change, I'm afraid the sky has already changed." Ren Gong said helplessly.

On the surface, Ren Gongbi is much calmer than Chenggong, but in fact, his heart is more turbulent.

The reason is simple. Success is too common. This is an official position that holds real power. No matter whether the general is in charge of the court or not, the power in Success's hands will not change.

The Prime Minister is different. He seems to be in a high position and has great power, but his power has long been replaced by China and North Korea. It is just a false position.

Three months after taking office, Ren Gong seemed to be more prestigious and more powerful than Yang Chang in the court, but in fact, this was an illusion.

Because the power in the hands of Ren Gong was not brought by the official position of Prime Minister, but was conferred by the General through the Shangshu Office.

It also means that once the power of the general recedes from the court, the power of Ren Gong will also disappear.

To put it even more extreme, if the general lets it all go, or if the emperor removes Ren Gong from his official position in the DPRK, then Ren Gong will not even be qualified to participate in the small court meeting, and his status may not be as good as that of the ministers.

Being an obedient wooden puppet in the court was not the wish of Ren Gong, who was in his "prime".

"Mr. Ren, what should I do next? Should I go to the general to discuss it?"

"There are so many people, so it's not appropriate to go right now, right?" Ren Gong was still a little hesitant.

Not only because the timing was sensitive, but also because he vaguely felt that even calling the general might be useless.

"Mr. Ren! Now is not the time to care about face. If I can't go to the general to discuss it, who else can I go to? I can't go to the county magistrate to discuss it, right?"

This sentence reminded Ren Gong of another person.

Now there are not only big generals, but also little generals!Since the general is unreliable, we can only rely on the small general.

But before the little general returns to the court, it doesn't hurt to check out the big general's tone first.

"Le Gong's words are reasonable, but I am pedantic. Then we will go to the General's Mansion immediately?" Ren Gong said.

"I'm afraid it's inappropriate. You and I go to the General's Mansion together. It's too conspicuous. It's not beautiful if someone with intentions sees it."

"Then I will go first today. If there is any news, I will immediately send someone to send a letter to Le Gong, inviting you to come and talk in detail." Ren Gong said.

"Then it's up to you." Le Cheng said with fear and fear, but there was a trace of subtle cunning hidden in his panicked eyes.

……

Soon, two simple carriages left the Prime Minister's Mansion one behind the other.

One drove to the General's Mansion, and the other drove to Taichang Temple.

Naturally, Success was on the last carriage. He closed his eyes and rested in the carriage, thinking about what Ren Gong said just now. His face was gloomy, but he was not panicked.

Among the Huo party, success is not outstanding.

His qualifications are not as high as Ren Gong's, and his contribution is not as great as Tian Yannian.

He belongs to an inconspicuous "junior".

By chance, he surpassed Tian Yannian and jumped to the position of "Taichang", the head of the Nine Qings, in one step.

If you succeed and take one step forward, you will be the imperial censor and the prime minister.

So when the position of Taichang came from heaven, I was very happy for a while.

But now, he understands the true meaning of the saying "good fortune and misfortune depend on it".

Until a few months ago, when he took up the post of Shaofu, he was deeply used and trusted by the emperor.

If he had changed his mind at that time and went to burn the emperor's cold stove, maybe today there would be no such thing.

Or maybe, it's not too late to join the Emperor's family now.

After all, a few months ago, he personally welcomed the emperor to Chang'an City.

In the eyes of the emperor, this contribution to welcoming Li might still have some weight?
So the key is how to connect with the emperor.

Successfully listened to the hoarse sound of the inferior carriage bell and gradually dug out a name from his mind.

If you go to find this person now, you will inevitably be ridiculed or even get a bad blow, but as long as you can keep your official position, it is a worthwhile thing.

Thinking of this, Le Chenggong slowly opened his eyes, opened a crack in the car curtain with his fingers, and said to the driver outside: "If you don't go back home now, go directly to Zuo Fengyi!"

"promise!"

……

The successful carriage meandered on the official road of Chang'an City. After traveling for half an hour, it finally arrived at Zuo Fengyi's gate.

When the pavilion guards saw that this broken carriage dared to stop at the door and obstructed the way, they immediately came over and prepared to drive it away.

It wasn't until he successfully stretched out a hand and showed his official seal that the arrogant and powerful pavilion soldiers repeatedly begged for mercy and hurried to report.

Not long after, the carriage was introduced to Zuo Fengyi.

However, Cheng Cheng was not taken to the main hall, but was led to a remote wing by a seasoned official to wait.

"Zuo Fengyi is handling official business in the main hall. I would like to trouble you to wait here for a while. Zuo Fengyi will come as soon as he is free."

"Don't worry Zuo Fengyi. I'll be waiting for him right now. It doesn't matter."

"promise."

This subordinate officer, who was not even qualified to wear the ribbon, did not leave, but quietly stood guard outside the door.

Le Chenggong looked at the wing, feeling unhappy but unable to say anything more.

All the furnishings in the wing were shabby and shabby, the beams and columns also had moth-eaten holes, and cobwebs hung in the corners. It was a dilapidated and desolate place.

Successfully stretched out a finger and wiped it on the desk, and a thick layer of dust stuck to it.

What's even more outrageous is that they didn't even bring a pot of tea.

It's understandable that Anle would be cautious at this time, but at first glance, no one has been to this wing for a long time. I'm afraid it can't be explained by caution.

It seems that Zuo Feng Yi Anle wants to give him a blow.

This snobbish An Le, didn't he just take back the house lent to him? How could he do such a rude thing?
At that time, Chenggong was beaten by the general because he was too close to the emperor, so he naturally wanted to take back the house.

Le Cheng sighed and swallowed the complaint. Who let Anle burn the cold stove of the emperor?
At this moment, I can only wait obediently.

There is no fire wall or heating in the wing, and the door does not close tightly. Staying inside is almost the same as staying outside.

Because there is no sunlight coming in, it is even colder.

Le Cheng didn't dare to walk around for fear of being seen by others, so he had to sit on the thin couch.

He waited for half an hour, until his hands and feet were numb with coldness, and a sound of footsteps came closer from far away.

Finally, the cheerful Zuo Fengyi Anle finally walked in.

"Hey, it's really disrespectful to keep Mr. Yuefu waiting for so long. It's disrespectful." Anle said with his hand in hand.

"Mr. An is busy with official duties, so I take the liberty to bother you." Le Cheng stood up quickly and returned the greeting. "It's the end of the year. There are too many things going on in this yamen, so I'm a little busy. I'm not as free as Mr. Yuefu, but I'll be raising him in the back house for three months."

Le Chenggong heard something in An Le's words, which seemed to be sarcastic, but he didn't dare to offend on the spot, so he had to laugh dryly and deal with it.

After sitting down, Anle looked at Lecheng and then asked pretending to be confused: "Huh? Isn't Mr. Yuefu sick? Why does his face look good, a little more rosy than the official?"

"This...isn't he already recovered from his illness?" Lecheng replied with a guilty conscience.

"Even though things are getting better so quickly, I would like to express my congratulations to Lord Yuefu."

"What kind of joy is this? To say joy, it must be the joy of a good brother."

This success finally recognized Anle as a good brother. Not long ago, his good brother could not even see his face.

"Haha, I've been busy with political affairs all day long, how can I have anything happy to talk about?" Anle pushed.

"Of course it's a housewarming celebration."

"Huh? How do you say this?" Anle narrowed his eyes and said defensively.

"Last month, didn't Brother Yu take back the house he lent to Brother Xian?"

"I just want to renovate it and give it to my virtuous brother."

"I didn't know that those cheap slaves at home were really incompetent. They said many things that shouldn't have been said and offended my virtuous brother."

"Now that the house has been renovated, those cheap slaves have been severely punished, and Brother Yu is here specifically to apologize today."

Successfully talked about it, he didn't look like the head of the Nine Qing Dynasty, more like a lowly official who came to ask for help from An Le.

Anle listened coldly to the words of his "virtuous brother", half-smiling but not smiling, without making any reply.

He thought about how he had "bowed down" when he went to Le Cheng's back door, and then looked at Le Cheng's fawning appearance now, and felt proud.

Sure enough, the big man is the Liu family's big man, and it is better to follow the emperor than to follow anyone.

In front of the emperor, that general Huo Guang is nothing!

Thinking of this, Anle sat up straighter proudly.

"Le Gong's words are wrong." An Le interrupted Le Cheng's words in a nonchalant manner.

"That house is Le Gong's private property. When I first arrived in Chang'an City, I had no place to stay..."

"You just lent me that house to stay with my family. This is already a great kindness. How can I hold on to it?"

"Now, my family has settled down in Zuo Fengyi's back house, and I don't need to bother you anymore."

"What's more, I don't get reward for no merit, how can I accept such a big gift for no reason?"

Anle finally brought out the airs of Prime Minister Changyi's adjutant again. While talking, he gently stroked his beard, and his pride was palpable.

In sharp contrast to him is Success: the more An Le refuses, the more Success wants to give this house to An Le.

"Brother Xian, there's no point in getting rewarded for nothing. Brother Yu has something to ask you to help with right now." Lecheng said in a low voice.

"Oh? You are Taichang. I am Zuo Fengyi. Our status is very different. How can I help you?" Anle sneered.

"Brother Xian, please stop making fun of me now. I made a lot of mistakes before, and it was Brother Fool's fault..."

"You must be aware of Brother Yu's plight now... I don't dare to expect anything else. I only hope that Brother Xian will write a letter to the county magistrate and put in a few kind words for Brother Yu."

"You are Jiu Qing, and you are just complaining about illness. You can write to the county magistrate yourself and say that your illness has been cured. The county magistrate will definitely understand your painstaking efforts to serve the country."

Anle said it was businesslike and had no intention of taking action.

"This... this..." Le Cheng hesitated, and finally said, "The general will return to the court soon. I am writing a letter now to follow him back. I am afraid that he will be jealous of the county magistrate." Le Cheng said.

"Then how do you want me to help you?" Anle asked.

"My dear brother is the county magistrate's confidant when he was hiding in his residence. The county magistrate will definitely believe your words..."

"My dear brother, when you submit the letter, you can say... Just say that Taichang Temple is busy with affairs and I should be allowed to serve even though I am sick... It is best to give me a few words of praise."

"If there is a chance, Brother Xian can ask Your Majesty to summon Brother Yu..."

After hearing the words of success, Anle kept tapping the table with his right index finger, as if he was planning something.

The house Anle sent over was worth at least 150 million yuan, which was already a big temptation.

Soon, Anle opened her half-closed eyes.

He nodded and said with a smile: "When we were in Changyi Kingdom, Yudi and my elder brother hit it off immediately. Now that my brother is in trouble, how can Yudi just sit idly by and do nothing..."

"In two days there will be a court meeting. At that time, I will write to the emperor on the spot to plead for my brother."

An Le's attitude suddenly changed, which made Cheng Cheng have some doubts. However, Cheng Cheng was overjoyed to get the promise and didn't think much about it.

"Don't worry, dear brother. After I go back, I will send someone to deliver the title deed and house deed of the house..."

"The deeds of sale of those slaves will also be sent together. I still have several houses in Chang'an. If my dear brother is not satisfied, you can choose them yourself."

In order to restore the official to his original position, this successful move is generous enough.

"That's no need. I'm very satisfied with this house." Anle grinned, even showing those two rows of white teeth.

Le Chenggong said "Thank you, dear brother" a few more times before leaving in a hurry.

Anle used the excuse that there were too many people and didn't get up to send him away.

After Chenggong left, Anle stood up. He walked to the door of the wing and couldn't help but look in the direction of Changyi Kingdom.

Chang'an City was thousands of miles away from Changyi State, so of course it was impossible to see Changyi Palace, but when Anle looked at it, he saw the scene of the emperor punishing Tian Buqing.

The emperor hates corrupt officials very much, and Anle knows it very well. This house plus the slaves are worth at least 300 to [-] million...

Anle didn't think about it. Although there were some dangers in doing so, the temptation was too great.

……

When he successfully found his own way out, Ren Gong finally met Huo Guang in the study of the General's Mansion.

"Will the General really go to the small court meeting tomorrow?"

"Well, the county magistrate has acted vigorously and resolutely. The three government offices have returned to normal, and the difficult matters have been properly handled. It will be useless if I don't go to court."

"But in this case, wouldn't everyone in the court know that the magistrate has won?"

"Winning or losing, it doesn't matter now. The one who wins in the end really wins." Huo Guang said very vaguely.

"General, if the county magistrate takes more actions, what should we do?"

"In more than ten days, there will definitely be good news from the army conquering the north. At that time, I can take advantage of the situation and contact those vacillating courtiers to get them back on the right path..."

"At that time, I will find another opportunity to remove Cai Yi and others one by one, and when the army returns, the government will be restored to its original state."

Huo Guang talked about his thoughts, which was a good plan to be implemented slowly.But Ren Gong thought differently. In his eyes, this move was too passive.

The most important thing is that Ren Gong should think more about himself - at least return to the court as soon as possible to stabilize his position as prime minister.

"Then what should I do with Le Chenggong? Just hide in the back house like this. I'm afraid things will change over time."

"This matter is not urgent. When the good news comes, I will write to the emperor and let you return to the court." Huo Guang said firmly.

"But when will this good news come? If it continues..." Ren Gongkou said without hesitation.

"Mr. Ren!" Huo Guang said angrily, "If you go any further, you will shake the morale of the army!"

"It's my words and deeds that are incompetent." Ren Gong suddenly deflated like a deflated pig's urine bubble.

"Don't worry, good news will definitely come within fifteen days. Just wait and see. Even if there is no good news, I will let you come back after this period of time."

"No." Ren Gong could only nod.

Ren Gong walked out of the general's study. He looked up at the rolling dark clouds in the sky, and then looked back at the figure of the general in the study, feeling a little desperate.

This general is already in the hands of the emperor. Although he still has some remaining power at the moment, the Huo family is expected to decline more and more.

Within three to five years, there will definitely be a disaster for the Huo family.

Ren Gong no longer has any hope for the general Huo Guang. When the young general comes back, he will persuade him to act quickly without any hesitation.

Next year, we must take advantage of the fact that the general still has a lot of power to decide on the top priority.

Otherwise, these Huo gang members will just wait to die.

Thinking of this, Ren Gong walked out of the yard anxiously without hesitation.

There are still many things to do.

Send a messenger with a message to the border county to wait, so that the young general will know about the changes in Chang'an as soon as he returns to Han.

I also need to send a message to Shaofu Lecheng, telling him that he is not yet a member of the 'Zuojun Alliance', so I have to find a way to bring him in.

Success, Anle, Ren Gong... Compared with the whole world of the big man, they seem important, but in fact they are still very small.

They made the choice that was best for themselves, but it brought many unexpected changes.

(End of this chapter)