My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 235 West Garden
"Brother, what did the thief tell you?"

After Lu Yi obtained the information he wanted from the guard, he returned to Lu Bu and others, and was immediately questioned by them.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi quickly told several people the information he had obtained, which immediately aroused their dissatisfaction.

"I never thought that the merits we gained at the cost of our lives would be worth nothing in the end."

Zhang Xun was very disappointed when he heard this.

"As meritorious men, we have to be exploited by a small gatekeeper even to enter the city. This is just to enter the city. Once we enter the city, you can imagine how we will be exploited!"

What a shitty world this is!"

Lu Bu was also furious when he heard this.

"This place is not like Jiuyuan, Fengxian needs to be patient for a while."

Gao Shun also looked resentful when he heard this, but he still tried to comfort him.

"Gao Shun is right. Since my current abilities are limited, I might as well be more honest and abide by the rules of the game to accumulate strength."

"Now that the world is in turmoil, when we grow stronger in the future, there may be a day when things will change!"

However, Lu Yi waved his hand and stopped the conversation with a meaningful remark.

At this time, the guard also put away the money bag he had obtained and leisurely returned to the city gate. Seeing this, Lu Yi immediately went to meet him.

"Thank you for your advice, General. We will go into the city and settle down. I just wonder if this carriage needs to be inspected?"

The guard had received many benefits from Lu Yi, so his attitude was very polite at this moment. He waved to Lu Yi and others towards the city gate.

"Since you have the imperial edict, you are meritorious officials. There is no need to search you. Go in quickly!"

As a garrison commander, like Huang Yi, his salary from the court was not enough to bribe his subordinates, so naturally he had to find some extra income.

Lu Yi had done him enough good things, so he naturally didn't mind giving Lu Yi some convenience.

However, his casualness was seen as somewhat unbelievable by Lu Yi and others who had just escaped from the brutal war. They all looked at him with strange expressions.

This is the city gate of the Han Dynasty capital.

This garrison commander was in charge of guarding the imperial palace, but he only tried to earn extra money by soliciting bribes. He neglected his heavy responsibility and allowed Lu Yi and others to enter the city.

You must know that if the dozens of people led by Lu Yi had weapons hidden in the carriage, they could capture the city gate in an instant. If there were ambushes outside, they could take the opportunity to attack the imperial capital.

Even the most important city gate guards could be bribed to such an extent.

What the superiors like, the subordinates will like even more. One can imagine the extent to which the "adults" among them are honest and upright.

After entering the city, Lu Yi was not able to find a place to stay because he had so many followers and luggage, especially the amount of money that filled the carriage.

He spent some time looking for a quiet yard in a busy city, bought some simple belongings and settled down temporarily.

As the imperial capital, prices in Luoyang are several times more expensive than in Jiuyuan.

Except for the price of grain, which was reasonable because there was no famine like the one in Hebei Province where people were almost cannibalizing each other, all other commodities were very expensive.

The annual rent that Lu Yi paid for this small courtyard was enough to buy two houses in Jiuyuan.

After more than ten days of traveling by boat and car, everyone was exhausted both physically and mentally.

Upon seeing this, Lu Yi arranged for everyone to rest for two days and ordered Gao Shun and Zhang Xun to stay in the courtyard.

But he did not dare to waste any time, and the next day he took Lu Bu for a stroll in Luoyang City.

Lu Yi was not in a state of deep wandering.

As the saying goes, partial listening leads to ignorance, while listening to both sides leads to enlightenment.

This time he came, he asked Cai Yong for some advice about Luoyang's experience.

However, Cai Yong was exiled for his crimes and had not lived in Luoyang for a long time. Now, with the incidents of Wang Fu and Yang Qiu, and then the invasion of the Xianbei, Cai Yong's experience was somewhat outdated and was not first-hand information.

Although the goalkeeper from yesterday was familiar, he was just a gatekeeper in the imperial capital, and what he said might not be truly credible.

Therefore, Lu Yi was ready to seek advice from an old friend who was truly experienced and in a high position.

However, before that, Lu Yi was not in a hurry to visit immediately, but first handed in the visiting card according to the rules. While waiting for the appointment, he took Lu Bu to various taverns in Luoyang.

Places like wine shops and taverns are the places where all kinds of people mix together, and where information is the most complex and comprehensive.

After drinking, people's sense of crisis and defensive psychology tend to decrease rapidly with the degree of drunkenness.

Some of the more dangerous remarks come out of your mouth without much thought.

Lu Yi seized this weakness and spent lavishly over the course of two days, learning a lot of tricks, thus gaining a relatively comprehensive and basic understanding of the colorful and complex city of Luoyang.

Two days later, when the time agreed upon for the visit with the old friend arrived, Lu Yi and Lu Bu bathed, changed their clothes and went to pay their visit.

"Sixiao and Fengxian have come from afar, is it because of the imperial edict of reward from the court?"

Lu Zhi sat high in the main seat, dressed in his home clothes, revealing a calm and easy-going demeanor that was in stark contrast to his serious demeanor as a commander in the military camp.

It turned out that the old friend that Lu Yi wanted to visit was Lu Zhi, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Army, whom he had met several times in Bingzhou.

As a general, Lu Zhi had his military power taken away by the court as soon as the war was over. He led his troops back to Luoyang to report the victory, so he returned several months earlier than Lu Yi, but he was much more informed than Lu Yi.

Although he and Lu Zhi had only met a few times, they were already political allies, and with his relationship with Cai Yong, he could seek advice from him.

"That's exactly what I mean."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi immediately nodded respectfully.

"Alas... I advise Sixiao not to take it too seriously!"

Gongsun Zan, who had fought alongside the Lu brothers, also returned to Luoyang with Lu Zhi to receive rewards for his military achievements.

"Teacher, you have made great achievements in the war. You and the two commanders Huangfu and Zhu Jun worked together to defeat the Xianbei bandits. However, due to the interference of the treacherous people in the court, you did not complete your mission, so one or two Xianbei bandits escaped back to the border. They even falsely accused you of letting the bandits go in front of the emperor. As a result, your merits and demerits were offset, and you had no title or reward. You had to stay at home idle."

"I once followed Sixiao and risked my life, but in the end I only got the position of magistrate of Zhuo County. The court's move really chills the hearts of loyal officials and righteous men!"

"The emperor and the court are responsible for making fair judgments on right and wrong. How could Bogui not speak disrespectfully?"

Lu Zhi sighed lightly and waved at Gongsun Zan.

This was his home, and Lu Yi and Lu Bu were not outsiders, so he did not say much, but just stopped Gongsun Zan from complaining.

"Bogui Wuyou, with the shallow view of clothes, is gold that will always shine one day, haven't you heard the story of Mao Sui in the past?"

Lu Yi knew the direction of history and was not as pessimistic as Gongsun Zan.

He knew that if nothing unexpected happened, three and a half years later, Zhang Jue and his brothers would gather 360,000 people to start an uprising, which would shock the imperial court. The emperor, frightened, would eventually reinstate Lu Zhi as a general to fight against the Yellow Turbans.

But that was also Lu Zhi's last masterpiece.

"I already know Sixiao's intention this time. I see that Sixiao is a very smart person and will definitely be a great man in the future. However, I am now idle at home and it is difficult for me to help Sixiao."

Lu Zhi smiled when he heard this, and looked at Lu Yi with admiration. "I don't like to delve into the Dao, ups and downs are the norm. If Sixiao wants to do something, he should not learn from me to seek fame and reputation. You must know that if you enter a turbid world, you will be turbid..."

"If you enter a turbid world, your body will become turbid..."

After leaving Lu Zhi's house, Lu Yi chewed it over for a while and gained some insights.

"Brother, I never thought that even General Lu's outstanding achievements would be treated so coldly. Now I am pessimistic about the court's reward..."

"Where do we go from here?"

When Lu Bu, who was standing behind Lu Yi, saw how unfair Lu Zhi's situation was, he couldn't help but feel sad for the other party and a layer of gloom covered his heart.

"Haha..." Lu Yi always seemed to be so confident and optimistic. After patting his brother's shoulder to comfort him, he took the lead.

"The road is always made by people. How can we stop moving forward just because of a few thorns?"

"Since I'm here, I have to give it a try anyway..."

In the past few days, Lu Yi has experienced the grandeur of Luoyang.

But if we talk about true dignity and grandeur, apart from the Imperial City where no one can enter without imperial decree, the West Garden is the best!
Although Liu Hong was the emperor, he only gained this great wealth by chance halfway through his life.

Liu Hong was the great-great-grandson of Emperor Zhang of Han, Liu Zhuang, and the great-grandson of King Xiao of Hejian, Liu Kai. Thanks to the famous Enfeoffment Order, by the time of his father Liu Chang, he was only a small Marquis of Jie Du. Because Liu Chang died early, he inherited his father's title of Marquis of Jie Du.

Thirteen years ago, the last Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty, Liu Zhi, passed away at the age of thirty-something. Empress Dou Miao was in charge of government affairs. Because Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty had no heir, Empress Dou Wu, the father of the general, for some unknown reason, ignored the royal family everywhere and welcomed Liu Hong, the Marquis of Jie Duting, who had no basis at the time, to Luoyang to ascend the throne.

Therefore, Liu Hong, who had not been exposed to the ways of an emperor since childhood, did not act like an emperor with unpredictable grace and power after he ascended the throne. Instead, he looked like a nouveau riche who had suddenly become rich.

Not only has he done nothing in politics, but he has also unwittingly embarked on a path of no return that has brought disaster to the country and the people, and his situation has become increasingly worse.

There are countless absurd things that happened after he ascended the throne.

For example, dogs will be given clothes and ribbons.

He imitated a shop in the harem and asked the concubines, palace maids and eunuchs to pretend to be merchants, while he himself rode a donkey cart to travel around.

He established a nude swimming hall and did not allow the palace maids inside to wear any clothes. He himself would go inside and play and have fun with the palace maids.

He even disregarded his imperial dignity and openly wore foreign clothing and utensils, disregarding the beauty of China.

Many of these deeds are unheard of.

But it was just his personal debauchery and could only be considered a minor flaw.

What really made him deserve the title of a tyrant who brought disaster to the country and the people was that he made history by openly selling official positions and titles using his status as an emperor.

Only tools and names cannot be lent to others, and this is what the king is in charge of.

In order to raise money for his own enjoyment, Liu Hong made this stupid move.

Whether it is the local county magistrate, county lieutenant, county governor or county magistrate.

Or he could be a governor, a colonel, or a county magistrate.

Even the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

Even hereditary noble titles are like this!
As long as you can afford it, you can buy it in Xiyuan.

The prices are clearly marked and there is no deception!
However, this is a chaotic policy that will shake the foundation of the country.

Imagine that the official titles that were originally held by the virtuous have now become commodities in the vegetable market, which can be picked by anyone.

Some people with lawless intentions took the opportunity to seize official positions, pry into the Han court, and benefit themselves at the expense of the public interest.

However, people like Lu Zhi, who truly serve the country and the people and are honest, cannot afford to buy an official position. They have a desire to serve the country and are full of knowledge and talent, but can only stay idle at home.

It is really as Zhuge Wuhou said in later generations.

In the temple, rotten wood are officials, and between the steps, beasts eat the food; people with wolves and dogs are in power, and servile people are in power.

The political corruption is so corrupt that you can imagine.

Liu Hong was originally just a small pavilion attendant. After he ascended the throne, he only cared about enjoying himself every day and did not think about studying.

Therefore, he failed to see the general trend and instead adopted such a wrong financial approach of drinking poison to quench thirst, which laid a solid foundation for the Yellow Turban Rebellion three years later and was primarily responsible for the demise of the Han Dynasty which lasted for 400 years.

He was a son who sold his father's land without feeling any regret, and even when he died, he was still as rich as before.

But in the end, countless innocent people had to pay the price for his mistakes.

When the world prospers, the people suffer.

When the empire is destroyed, the people will suffer even more.

Such an incompetent, talentless and immoral person could have been a marquis and enjoyed his life within his fiefdom, but by chance he became the emperor and instead became the culprit for the destruction of the country.

A nation can be so corrupted overnight just because of a short-lived and incompetent emperor. It really makes people feel the randomness and inevitability of history and the fickleness of fate.

It makes people sigh.

Lu Yi, who knew history well, naturally had such thoughts.

However, now that he knows the history.

There is also the desire and motivation to change history.

I believe that with his appearance, even if he failed to prevent the catastrophe a hundred years later, he could at least preserve some of the Han Dynasty's strength and prevent the nation from falling into the crisis of genocide.

Xiyuan is part of the imperial city, but because the scale of Liu Hong's business of selling official positions and titles is so huge, it has been semi-independently separated as a separate government office, specifically responsible for receiving consumers who are preparing to buy official positions and titles.

Lu Yi has now figured out the tricks. He has neither lack of money nor ambition, so he naturally will not miss such a good place.

After taking a look at the magnificent West Garden, Lu Yi brought Lu Bu to the outside of the West Garden.

"You look unfamiliar, are you here from out of town to buy an official position?"

As soon as Lu Yi stopped, a eunuch who looked very smart came up to him with a smile on his face. His attitude was quite friendly, which was completely different from the domineering and arrogant attitude that Lu Yi had originally expected.

"Humph, although Liu Hong is uneducated, he is a self-taught businessman. He even mastered the business strategy of coaxing customers into spending more generously, like in the future?"

Looking at the passionate eunuch, Lu Yi couldn't help feeling a little surprised.

"I was summoned to the capital to receive an award. I wonder if I am here to receive it?"

Lu Yi did not answer, but took out the imperial edict from his arms to prove his identity and purpose.

"Humph! Another miser who wants to give away nothing with an imperial edict. What a waste of our smiling faces!"

The eunuch immediately fell displeased upon seeing this, thinking that Lu Yi was a customer who was not willing to spend money, just like Lu Zhi and his ilk.

"My dear eunuch, you misunderstood me. I never said I didn't want to spend money!"

……

(End of this chapter)