Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 212 Mental tricks
Even though Wei Zifu seemed to have fallen out of favor in recent years, her position was still stable, because because of her, the status of her foreign relatives was also very high.

But now among the younger generations, Huo Shan gave people the impression that he was arrogant and domineering because of his favor, but Wei Zifu was not too worried, because Huo Shan was capable but also had his own bottom line.

It's not that he never makes big mistakes but keeps making small ones, but that he knows the bottom line of the emperor and the prince very well and will never touch them.

However, Gongsun Jingsheng, whom Wei Zifu had originally been very optimistic about, disappointed Wei Zifu. Not only did he rely on his family background and origin to commit corruption and abuse of power, he also had no sense of responsibility and was even crossing the bottom line.

Not to mention Wei Zifu, Wei Qing and Liu Ju, Gongsun He must have been very disappointed with his own son.

Huo Xian, who usually did not attend court, got up on time today. The court meetings in the Western Han Dynasty were not held every day. To be more precise, the court meetings in the Western Han Dynasty were divided into the inner court and the outer court.

The inner court was presided over by the emperor, and the participants were princes, prime ministers and other important state officials. They mainly discussed important military and national affairs.

The outer court is presided over by the prime minister, and the participants are some court officials who are responsible for implementing the policies. The main purpose is to discuss how to implement the policies specifically. The official status of the ministers participating in the outer court is lower than that of the inner court.

Even the morning court system did not appear until the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, and was held every five days. Some of the current grand court ceremonies are the new moon and full moon courts, etc.

Many people were surprised that Huo Xian appeared in the court meeting, but they were not particularly surprised. After all, Huo Xian's status was there, and it was normal for him not to come on weekdays. He was just favored by the emperor.

There is nothing strange about attending court meetings now. It doesn't necessarily mean there is something big going on. Maybe he just shows up to show his face.

Gongsun He nodded slightly towards Huo Shan. Even though Huo Shan and Gongsun Jingsheng had a falling out, and Gongsun He might have some opinions in his heart, he still had to do some superficial work to save face.

Huo Xian also smiled and nodded in response. Even if he didn't need to care about Gongsun Jingsheng's face, he still had to consider Wei Ru's identity and must show the proper etiquette.

When Liu Che arrived at the hall, he glared at Huo Shan when he saw him. Now he understood that unless it was a particularly formal decree, Huo Shan might not listen.

Liu Ju was the first to fire, saying, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Minister Gongsun Jingsheng privately traded the court's public property and sold the pastures open to the people to dignitaries and wealthy businessmen."

The officials who were unaware of the situation were very surprised, but those who already knew some of the circumstances were not surprised at all.

Huo Guang and others were still looking at each other in bewilderment, they had not expected such a big thing to happen suddenly. The prince was taking the initiative to impeach the in-laws whom he relied on!

The Grand Marshal General Wei Qing and the Grand Marshal General Huqi were the main forces that the world knew were responsible for protecting the crown prince. But don't forget that Gongsun He was the one who took the lead in requesting the emperor's sons to be given titles, even ahead of Huo Qubing!
Liu Che looked at Gongsun He and asked calmly, "Prime Minister, is what the Crown Prince reported true?"

Gongsun He immediately replied, "Your Majesty, what the Crown Prince reported is all true, and the Grand Coachman has already apologized."

After saying that, Gongsun He took out the memorial. There was no way to wash away this matter. There was evidence from both the witnesses and the objects. It would be foolish to argue at this time.

Moreover, these people all knew the emperor's character. If they admitted their guilt and behaved better at this time, they could atone for their sins. If they were stubborn and unyielding, the emperor would be really angry.

Huo Xian immediately stepped forward, took the memorial from Gongsun He, and respectfully handed it to Liu Che. Then he habitually walked to the side and glared at a sword-carrying attendant.

Ma Tong felt wronged. He was a minister and had the right to carry a sword to protect the emperor. But now, the Marquis of Guanjun did not retreat to the ranks of officials after submitting the memorial.

Liu Che turned his head and saw Huo Xian squeezing through the matong, and immediately asked, "Where are you standing? Do you have a sword?"

Huo Xian was stunned for a moment, and immediately felt embarrassed, "Your Majesty, I used to stand here, I'm used to it. Anyway, I don't understand government affairs, so I'll just guard Your Majesty from now on!"

If the words of what is flattery and what is a close minister were to spread, it is estimated that the history books would definitely record that a large number of champion Hou Huo Xian won the emperor's favor by flattery.

His current actions are no different from those of some treacherous ministers. He is a typical villain.

"How can you be such a Grand Marshal!" Liu Che put down the memorial with a smile, and said, "You are not eleven or twelve years old now, you can't act like a child. In your position, if you don't understand the government, just listen and watch more."

The other officials were so envious that their eyes turned red. In such a tense moment, Marquis Guanjun could handle it easily, and the emperor was not angry at all despite his mischief!
Liu Ju and Gongsun He were even more moved. In fact, with Huo Xian's personality, he seemed to do a lot of nonsense, but he was also very concerned about his reputation. In some people's eyes, he was even the type of person who valued his reputation more than anything else.

Going and making trouble at this time was actually to amuse the emperor. Even though Huo Xian seemed to have fallen out with Gongsun He and Gongsun Jingsheng, he still tried his best to protect them.

Huo Xian retreated muttering to himself, and knelt down at his seat, with his head lowered and not saying a word. He looked like a person who had been bullied.

Liu Che looked at Gongsun He and asked, "So, the Grand Coachman is really in trouble now?"

Gongsun He naturally did not dare to hide anything and immediately replied, "Your Majesty, the evidence is irrefutable. Please punish me."

Liu Che looked at Liu Ju and asked, "Prince, how do you think we should deal with the Grand Coachman?"

Liu Ju replied without thinking, "Your Majesty, the Grand Coachman has disregarded the laws of the court. I think he should be dismissed from office and imprisoned to recover the stolen money. According to the law, the Grand Coachman should be exiled."

Liu Che looked at Gongsun He and said, "Prime Minister, what do you think of what the Crown Prince said? I think these punishments are too severe. The Minister of the Imperial Household is one of the Nine Ministers. How can he do such things?"

Gongsun He's face turned red with embarrassment. He was the prime minister and a marquis, and could be said to be a truly top-level dignitary. But his son really had no shame at all, and wanted to take such a small profit!
However, Gongsun He knew right from wrong at this time, "Your Majesty, I failed to educate my son properly, which led to his corruption and abuse of power. I am guilty, and I hope Your Majesty will remove me from my position as Prime Minister and my title of Marquis."

Liu Che immediately smiled and shook his head, "The Grand Coachman is Taiping, and the Prime Minister is the Prime Minister! I chose Gongsun Jingsheng as the Grand Coachman because he has some skills and he is the nephew of the Queen and the son of the Prime Minister."

What does it mean to be slapped in the face? This is Liu Che slapping himself in the face. Anyway, Gongsun Jingsheng is no longer useful, so Liu Che naturally won't care about anything.

This is also in line with Liu Che's characteristics. When he uses an official, he will give him many opportunities. But when he doesn't need these people anymore, he will turn his face and be ruthless.

There is no doubt that Gongsun Jingsheng's fate is now basically certain. Losing his job is the easiest punishment. Now that he can be imprisoned, this is a good ending. Liu Che thought about it and said, "Let's do this. Impeachment is impeachment, and investigation is investigation. Since it is the prince who impeached, then the prince will investigate the case and report it to the court after the investigation is clear."

Huo Xian, who was listening expressionlessly, felt that the emperor was still cruel. He was going to rub the faces of Gongsun He and Gongsun Jingsheng, father and son, on the ground repeatedly.

Even in this matter, it seems that the Crown Prince is being asked to handle the case, which seems to be a sign of respect for the crown prince. But isn't this a signal? People who don't know the situation will think that there is a rift between the Crown Prince and Wei Huo.

Liu Ju naturally understood this, but he quickly said, "I, your son, will investigate this case thoroughly and rectify the court's laws!"

Neither Liu Ju nor Gongsun He had any decision-making power in this matter. They could only act according to the emperor's orders and guess the emperor's thoughts.

After all, the emperor is only asking for an investigation into the case, but there is no clear signal as to what extent the case has been investigated and what kind of punishment will be given to Gongsun Jingsheng.

If the punishment is too severe, all officials will think that Crown Prince Liu Ju is mean and does not even protect his own relatives, and they will certainly discard other officials after using them.

But if it is not done well, it will be difficult to convince the people. After all, the prince is known for his generosity, kindness, and wisdom, and he has the opportunity to become a wise ruler in the future.

This time, the emperor not only wants to punish Gongsun He and Gongsun Jingsheng, but also put Crown Prince Liu Ju on the fire!

Huo Xian, who was kneeling on the side, remained silent, for he had long known the emperor's actions. Liu Ju's position as the crown prince was very stable, but that did not mean that Liu Che was completely defenseless.

In history, there were few emperors who were not on guard against their crown princes, especially some emperors with great talent and strategy, who put their crown princes through all kinds of training and tests, and often used some repressive education.

There is no way, because the prince seems to be a natural threat to the emperor's position. A wise prince has a good prestige in the court and the country, which can also put a certain amount of pressure on the emperor.

The court meeting ended just like that, and many people were terrified, because Wei and Huo seemed to have fallen out, and because the prime minister's son was involved in a major case, and now the prince was to handle the case, there might be some subsequent twists and turns.

Huo Xian went around and found Liu Ju, "Uncle, please follow the imperial decree. This matter needs to be settled urgently. I will go on a tour with His Majesty in a few days."

Liu Ju said worriedly, "You come here, His Majesty will scold you again! Go back quickly, I know how to deal with these things!"

Liu Ju felt depressed just thinking about it. His cousin was so ignorant, while his nephew seemed to be a playboy, but he was really sensible. He helped to resolve various issues over the years and was sensible even when he was wronged.

Huo Xian said with a playful smile, "It's okay, His Majesty won't blame me! Uncle, this matter must be reported to the outer court, and Chang'an must also hear about it. Otherwise, I'm afraid it won't be my aunt who will take care of Chang'an during the parade."

Liu Ju's heart skipped a beat. This was a big deal. According to past practice, whenever the emperor went out on a tour, the affairs inside and outside Chang'an would definitely be handed over to the empress to manage.

At that time, a general will be left behind to assist the prince. This is a pattern that everyone is accustomed to.

Liu Ju was more aware of this, "Don't worry, I know how to handle these things. It's hard to protect him even if he wants to after what he did."

Huo Xian also sighed. The situation was relatively clear now. It would be very difficult for Gongsun Jingsheng to survive. It was really because some of the things he had done were not presentable enough.

Not to mention Huo Xian, even Liu Ju and Gongsun He felt ashamed. It was really unworthy of his status that the Grand Coachman had no awareness at all.

Huo Xian continued to remind him, "Uncle Gongsun is thinking about atonement now. Apart from paying a fine, he can also do meritorious service. But you must not let him do meritorious service and handle the case, otherwise who knows what trouble he will cause!"

We can't help but worry. In history, Gongsun Jingsheng wanted to atone his sins after embezzling military funds, but he was "reported" by Zhu Anshi, which led to the subsequent witchcraft disaster.

Liu Ju didn't know about the witchcraft disaster, but he understood what Huo Xian meant. "He definitely can't be an official now. Just don't let him die. I know what I am doing."

These were really no problem for Liu Ju. Gongsun Jingsheng would definitely not be able to continue his position as an official. Everyone naturally understood this. However, whether the crime would not punishable by death or not depended on the investigators.

And even if Gongsun Jingsheng doesn't hold an official position, it doesn't matter. He is still the son of the prime minister, and still a powerful person envied by countless people. Maybe in a few years, he will have a chance to be reinstated.

Huo Xian just chuckled and said, "Then I'm relieved. I still have to practice driving the chariot later. Hurry up and arrange things, and then we'll go to Bowang Garden!"

Liu Ju said with a smile, "It's already this late, and you still want to go to Bowang Garden!"

"When?" Huo Xian said even more nonchalantly, "If we need to go to Bowang Garden, we should go to Bowang Garden. Anyway, I don't think it's a big deal and His Majesty won't blame me."

We are all smart people. Liu Ju knew that as long as Huo Xian could go to Bowang Garden, it would prove that the emperor did not vent his anger on more people about this matter.

The nature of Bowang Garden is there. The emperor allowed Huo Shan, his confidant, to endorse the prince, which is a kind of attitude. If Huo Shan cannot go, then Liu Ju will have to be more careful, or Huo Shan will also need to be careful.

After talking to Liu Qi, Huo Xian ran back. When he was young, he had to be busy passing messages between the emperor and the empress, and constantly running around to consolidate the position of the prince.

I didn't expect that it is still the same now. It also requires hard work. Not only do I have to constantly come up with ideas, but I also have to convey some information in a timely manner to avoid misunderstandings caused by information bias.

Complaints aside, fortunately, these things are easy for Huo Xian to handle. He doesn't find them difficult and does them with ease.

Huo Xian was in high spirits as he headed straight for the training ground. "Lead the horses! Lead the horses! Set up some targets first, and get me a bow!"

Liu Che, who was sitting on the pavilion to rest, immediately scolded, "I told you to drive the carriage, but who told you to ride and shoot? You are having fun, so you only think about me, right?"

Huo Xian was not afraid at all and shouted, "Your Majesty, when I was driving and encountered a beast blocking the road, I had to hunt it! Your Majesty, just watch and see how I conquer the battlefield!"

(End of this chapter)