Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 425: The Battle for Reward
"Your Majesty, I think that Sikong's proposal is absolutely inappropriate."

Emperor Xian suddenly seemed somewhat happy, and the joy in his tone was evident.

"My dear, please tell me what is wrong with it."

Liu He looked at Emperor Xian and thought to himself, "Liu Xie is young, but he has experienced a lot. He looks mature, but he is still too young. His emotions are obvious. Judging from his reaction, he is obviously not very welcoming to me. I guess in addition to the influence of the previous visit to the palace to ask for the imperial edict, he is mainly afraid of the military generals controlling the government. This is a small trouble..."

He didn't take the man who opposed him and Yang Biao seriously at all. Now that the situation was settled, he was not afraid of the opposition from several ministers. However, despite this, he still wanted to hear what reasons the other party would give.

The minister said, "Your Majesty, since Emperor Gaozu founded the country, the Han Dynasty has prospered for four hundred years. However, in the past forty years, the country has been in chaos and disasters, and has been troubled by internal and external troubles. Why? It is because the two previous emperors, Huan and Ling, abandoned the loyalty of the nobles and favored treacherous ministers. Liang Ji caused chaos, the Yellow Turbans were rampant, the eunuchs caused disasters, and the traitor Dong was cruel, so that the country suffered and the people suffered."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Liu He understood the meaning of his words and couldn't help but frowned slightly.

The other party continued, "Be it Liang Ji or the Ten Attendants, they were able to disrupt the government. They simply used the power of the emperor to deceive the superiors and subordinates and seek personal gain. They were not enough to threaten the emperor. People like Dong Zhuo were even more harmful. They had their own troops and threatened the imperial power. Even the emperor had to avoid them. Now that Dong Zhuo has been destroyed, how can we repeat the same mistake and let the military generals hold heavy troops in Luoyang? If we want to revive our Han Dynasty, we should follow the example of Emperor Guangwu and make use of scholars from aristocratic families. This is the best strategy."

"What did you say, old man?"

Cheng Liang had the most explosive temper. When he heard this, he flew into a rage on the spot.

Not to mention him, even Guan Yu and others were filled with anger and looked at the minister with unfriendly eyes.

"How dare you! In front of the emperor, are you going to kill the ministers who gave you direct advice, and do what Dong the traitor did?"

Although Liu He felt somewhat unhappy after hearing this, he also knew that the more impulsive he was at this time, the more trouble he would cause.

"Brothers, please do not act recklessly. Your Majesty will make the final decision."

Emperor Xian was still a child after all. When he saw the quarrel about to break out, he became a little scared.

"Minister Chen's remarks are biased and nitpicking, and he is throwing the baby out with the bathwater."

A powerful voice sounded, and everyone looked and saw that it was Lu Zhi.

After he said this, Liu He realized that the old man who had just spoken was Chen Ji from the Yingchuan Chen family, the man who had personally gone to Taiyuan and joined forces with Wang Chen and more than a dozen powerful men in Bingzhou to deal with him. He had not known about it before, but Wang Chen had told Zhu Ye not long ago, and Zhu Ye had relayed it to him.

Chen Ji is not very famous in the history of the Three Kingdoms, but he has a very famous son. He is Chen Qun, who proposed the "Nine-Rank System". This system further consolidated and strengthened the monopoly of aristocratic families on the selection of officials, and played a significant role in the rapid expansion of the power of aristocratic families in the hundreds of years from the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the early Tang Dynasty.

"So it was him, no wonder..."

Liu He ignored him and let him and Lu Zhi debate first.

Seeing Lu Zhi's opposition, Chen Ji seemed to have expected it, and asked, "I would like to hear General Lu's opinion."

Lu Zhi said, "The new emperor is young, so it is common sense that he should have important ministers to assist him in governing the country. This is true whether it was the former Hongnong King or the current emperor. The two ministers left by the previous emperor to take care of the orphan died early, and only Liu Xianzhao held the previous emperor's will. He is also a relative of the family. It is in accordance with national law for him to lead troops to suppress the rebellion and stay in the court to assist in governing the country. Minister Chen compares important ministers of the country with treacherous ministers. This is really a heart-breaking argument and has ulterior motives."

"That's right. General Liu captured and killed Zhang Jue, pacified the barbarians, and recovered the old territory. Now he has captured Dong Zhuo and is serving Your Majesty. Regardless of his qualifications, merits, and bloodline, he is the best choice for the regent. Your Majesty, please do not hesitate."

Wang Yun also stood up to support Liu He.

Chen Ji and the group of ministers behind him suddenly became excited.

"Are you all going to help Liu He threaten the emperor today? Such behavior is no different from that of the thief Dong!"

"You fart!"

Cheng Liang was about to rush out, frightening the group of civil officials so much that they almost fell down in the hall. "Liu He rebelled, Liu He killed people..."

A group of ministers shouted at the top of their lungs, and Liu He couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.

Chen Ji took a step forward and stretched his neck.

"I am the Minister of Chancellery, and I have received the grace of the country. How can I cherish my life and avoid the sword? Seeing the traitors bring disaster to the country, I will not say anything. Liu He, you now have a large army and the capital is in your control. I know that I have offended you and will die today. However, I cannot succumb to violence!"

Chen Ji looked so passionate and righteous that if Liu He hadn't known what kind of person he was, he would have almost thought he was a loyal minister.

After he said this, many ministers around him came out.

"We are willing to be killed and be loyal to our country!"

"If General Liu truly cares about the Han Dynasty, he should lead his troops back to Bingzhou. Your Majesty can appoint him as General Pingbei and Governor of Bingzhou, grant him a title, and let him guard the Han Dynasty. If he seizes power and acts recklessly, how can he be worthy of the ancestors of the Liu family?"

"Yes, please ask General Liu to return to Bingzhou! Your Majesty, please make use of the scholars!"

Zhu Jun also had a bad temper. He had endured for a long time, but now he finally couldn't help but stand up.

"Nonsense! Who said that military generals should guard the border after they have made contributions and not be allowed to serve in the capital? Lord Lu, General Huangfu and I have all led troops to fight for many years, but after the war, we still hold high positions in the court. Think about He Jin, who has no contributions at all, but has become a general by relying on the affairs of the harem. Now Liu Xianzhao has made great contributions, and no one in the world can compare to him, but he is trapped in the border. What is your intention, ministers, to be so disrespectful to the virtuous and exclude the meritorious officials!"

"Gong Wei, what you said is absurd! As the saying goes, never forget the past, and learn from it. It is precisely because He Jin was incompetent and Dong Zhuo rebelled that we should not allow military generals to sit in the court, otherwise there would be chaos. Only when scholars ruled the country could we have the 400-year prosperity of the Han Dynasty. When military men and eunuchs ruled the country, there were decades of chaos since the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling. How can we forget such a lesson in an instant?"

Chen Ji's words made all the military officers in the court jump up, except for those who were on his side.

"How dare you look down on us, the generals? Without our bloody battle, you would not have survived!"

When Chen Ji saw them approaching him, he put on his fearless look again.

"Why, are you all going to gang up on me and kill me? Humph, although I am old, I am still tough and will never bow down to you treacherous villains! Now all the troops in Luoyang are in Liu He's hands. If you want to imitate Dong Zhuo, although I am powerless to stop you, I will also smash my body to death in this hall to repay the late emperor!"

After he said that, he pretended to crash into a large pillar beside him.

"Minister Chen, you can't do that!"

"Yuan Fang must not..."

A group of courtiers around him hurriedly tried to stop him, but he still pretended to be heartbroken and tried his best to rush forward.

Yang Biao looked so impatient with his brows raised.

"You are all looking for death in the court. It is really disgraceful. General Liu is loyal and brave, and his kindness is unmatched. You treat him so badly. Where is your conscience?"

Chen Ji didn't buy it at all. He glared at Yang Biao fiercely.

"The Hongnong Yang family is well-known throughout the world. You are the leader of the scholars, you should display your talents and assist Your Majesty to eliminate the treacherous. Why do you damage your integrity and join Liu He in order to seek high positions and generous salaries? It is really despicable."

Yang Biao sighed, "We are devoted to the country and only hope that the world will be stable as soon as possible. Now the princes have risen up, and they have their own troops in various places. They are insincere to the court. If there is no relative hero like Liu He to assist, how can Your Majesty deter the heroes? Dong Zhuo is a foreigner, without the talent of Yi Yin and Huo Guang, so it is naturally inconvenient for him to enter the court and govern. However, Liu He is a descendant of the Han Dynasty, Your Majesty's uncle, and has great virtues and great contributions to the country. How can he be compared? You are very talented and knowledgeable, how can you not know this, why are you obstructing him in every way?"

(End of this chapter)