My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 246: The Imperial Censor in Embroidered Clothes
Bu Mansion.

Although the Bu family was granted the title of Guannei Hou, their family background was relatively weak and they had only moved to Chang'an City a few years ago, so they could definitely not squeeze into the top noble gathering area like Shangguanli.

He managed to build a house in the northern part of Beidi.

"Father."

When Bu Shi stepped into the back hall, his second son Bu Liang came out to greet him. Seeing that his father just nodded with a calm expression, Bu Liang realized something was wrong and waved his hand to drive the servants away.

"Father, did His Majesty personally lead the army and something went wrong?"

He looked nervous when he asked the question, but Bu Shi was calm. He went into the inner hall and sat down. Then he said calmly, "Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong. The Huns have withdrawn."

Bu Liang felt relieved, but the confusion on his face remained.

"That……"

If nothing happened, why did my father act like this?
Bu Shi, who has always presented himself as a kind and wealthy man, seemed to be worried today. He no longer had his usual smile and was too lazy to put on any effort to put on a nice face.

"Ugh."

Sitting upright on the couch, Bu Shi sighed again, "Father is not worried about the war, but about the King of Qi."

Bu Liang's face changed slightly. Even though there was no one around, he still lowered his voice unconsciously, as if he was talking about some taboo. "Why did father say that?"

"...According to my observation, after his last experience as regent, the Crown Prince has been much more decisive this time, and seems to have the final say."

Speaking of which.

Bu Shi's eyes darkened. "If this continues, who will still remember that Your Majesty has a son?"

Bu Liang, who was kneeling beside him, understood and fell silent.

His father now holds the position of Imperial Censor, but his position and situation are exactly the same as those of the current Prime Minister Shi Qing.

Shi Qing once served as the Prince's Tutor and had taught the Prince for many years. With this identity in place, he could be transferred to any position in the future, even if it was the head of the Three Dukes.

Others will always remember the mark on him——

Former Prince Tutor!
Bu Shi's situation was similar to Shi Qing's, and they were even more closely tied to each other. Bu Shi first served as the Prime Minister of Qi, assisting the King of Qi, and later served as the King of Qi's Taifu, teaching the King of Qi.

We can never get around the word "齐"!

With such connections, you came to the capital and served as the Imperial Censor. Would others forget your previous experience?

will not.

Instead, due to the gazes of so many people, he was nailed down!
Bu Shi was helpless, for he knew who was pushing all this behind the scenes. As the saying goes: If the emperor asks you to fight, you have to fight even if you don't want to!

The holy will comes first, and the ambitions hidden deep in the heart come second.

Bu Shi argued.

When there was a conflict between the Crown Prince's Palace and the Yilan Palace, he not only watched the fight from the sidelines, but also fanned the flames. The effect was very good. The Li family lost power, and the Fourth Prince's family was seriously injured.

But his attempt also stopped there. Bu Shi tried many times to touch the Prince's Palace, the King of Qi's greatest rival, but all failed.

Seeing that the prince's prestige was rising again, how could he not be anxious?
"When earth accumulates to form a mountain, wind and rain arise. When water accumulates to form an abyss, dragons are born. Father, the matter of the crown prince cannot be rushed." Bu Liang poured a cup of tea for his father and said slowly.

He is younger in mind, and is more optimistic than his father when faced with setbacks. It can also be said that -

Less awe, more ambition!
"There is a long way to go. If you plan step by step, you will eventually be able to overcome the difficulties."

Hearing his second son's words, Bu Shi felt less depressed. Recalling what happened in the Xuanshi Hall before, his expression gradually became more serious.

"My son is right. There is no rush. Some things need to be done slowly."

"The imperial examination has been scheduled. It will be held every two years. Next time..." He looked at his second son, "You can review the classics for the imperial examination and take part in it next time."

Bu Liang asked doubtfully, "Didn't father say that we should wait and see?"

"The situation is clear now."

Bu Shi shook his head. The situation now was enough for him to place a bet. Not only the Bu family, but many high-ranking officials in the court would probably follow suit.

In the first imperial examination held by the court, the majority of the candidates were from poor families, and most of the successful candidates were also from poor families.

But this does not mean that the emperor was manipulating the situation too much. At least when the Guanglu Temple evaluated the papers for the first time in the preliminary examination, it strictly evaluated them according to their talent and learning.

The reason why there are so many Jinshi from poor families is that there are a large number of children from poor families who participated in the first imperial examination!
In other words.

There are very few children of famous families for reference.

Liu Deneng came because the royal family came to show their support according to the emperor's wishes; Dongfang Jinghui went because it was requested by his father Dongfang Shuo, also to show his support.

In the first imperial examination initiated by the court at the suggestion of the crown prince, there were candidates like Liu De and Dongfang Jing, but not many.

Taking the imperial examination was different from taking the path of recommendation or recruitment, and it was also the first time, so the future was very uncertain.

Even Dongfang Shuo only sent his second son to participate, didn’t he?

The families of the Han Dynasty's nobles, the families of two thousand stone and one thousand stone officials, had many ways for their younger generations to enter officialdom. For them, there was no need to compete with a bunch of peasants for an unstable path.

Furthermore.

As for Bu Shi personally, he was unwilling to let his own children go to support the prince...

But now and then.

With the generous treatment of Zhao Guo, Liu De and others, the uncertain future of the imperial examination has now become clear, and Bu Shi doesn't mind letting his second son give it a try.

"Grind the ink."

The father and son talked for a while, then Bu Shi gathered his sleeves and picked up his writing brush. Bu Liang did not ask his father what he was going to do, but just started grinding ink.

After a while, Bu Shi wrote while thinking, recording the current situation of the court and future plans on paper. After the ink dried and put it in an envelope, he handed the letter to his second son.

"Send it to Qi in person, either to your brother or to the King of Qi. Don't let anyone else do it."

Bu Liang took it carefully, "Yes!"

The eldest son of the Bu family, currently serving as the Internal History of the King of Qi...

……

The Prince's Palace and the Jiaguan Palace towers.

The two concubines were skillfully collecting and sending memorials, while Liu Ju was bent over his desk with his head bowed.

The Imperial Censor was indeed right. After the experience of being regent once, Liu Ju was much more at ease this time and was no longer as busy and flustered as last time.

At this time, footsteps were heard in the attic, and Eunuch Wei slowly approached and presented a document, "Your Highness, the Prime Minister sent someone to deliver the file on the matter of the report of the money."

Liu Ju took it.

Before he even opened the book to take a closer look, he asked, "What did the Prime Minister say?"

Young Eunuch Wei said respectfully, "According to the statement of the Prime Minister's Chief Secretary who sent the files, the Prime Minister discussed with the ministers and believed that the system of reporting the money was inappropriate for the current situation and should be abolished."

"Um……"

While Liu Ju was responding, he was looking at the booklet in his hand, which recorded the local unrest caused by reporting the corruption. He just glanced at it and put it down.

"Reply to the Prime Minister and do as they say."

"Yes."

Young Eunuch Wei bowed and left, but he returned a moment later and said, "Your Highness, the head of the Golden Stables wishes to see you."

Hearing this name, the two ladies beside Liu Ju stood up gracefully and left the attic with the young eunuch.

After a while.

"Your Highness, we have found out who the invading Huns are." Jin Midi stood in front of the table and said in a deep voice: "Combining the battle report from Shuofang and the news sent from the grassland, it can be confirmed that it is Wuwei!"

Uwei Chanyu?

Upon hearing this, Liu Ju put down the memorial in his hand and signaled Jin Midi to continue. "According to Qu Bi's information, since Wu Wei split from Zuo Xian Wang, his sphere of influence has been sandwiched between the other two tribes, making it difficult for him to move forward."

"That's why we took the risk of going south to invade the border, hoping to boost our morale and win over other tribes on the grassland." Jin Midi said.

Liu Ju frowned for a while and warned: "Send more people to the Wuwei Royal Court and the Zuobu Royal Court. If there is another border invasion, the imperial court should at least get some news."

Jin Midi's face was fierce, "Your Highness, I beg for permission to go to Mobei in person!"

"……Be careful."

"Here!"

Jin Midi bowed deeply and strode away.

Liu Ju looked in the direction he left, stared for a moment, and then retracted his gaze. But just as he lowered his head, the footsteps started again, this time a little hurried.

Young Eunuch Wei quickly climbed up to the attic, walked to the side of the prince, and whispered: "News has come from Bingzhou and Shuofang that on your way back, the governors of Hedong, Longxi, and Beidi failed to cope with the situation and committed suicide one after another."

“Countless officials are implicated!”

Liu Ju raised his eyebrows slightly. He had anticipated a similar scene before. After all, the emperor threw a punch with hatred, but failed to hit the Huns. Did he really hit the air?

Someone has to be held accountable for this.

But what surprised Liu Ju a little was that there were quite a lot of people who paid for his father the emperor's anger, and they were quite miserable...

Among the three prefects who committed suicide, Hedong County was located to the east of Chang'an, Longxi County was located to the west of Chang'an, and Beidi County was located to the north of Chang'an.

In order to kill someone, the emperor passed through Chang'an without entering, and took a big detour!
View from here.

The emperor's murderous intent was truly strong, and the deaths of the three governors were not unjust...

After asking the last governor of Longxi County to commit suicide, the emperor led the southern and northern armies back to Chang'an from Youfufeng in a hurry.

After returning to Beijing, the emperor's anger did not seem to have subsided. On the day he returned to Weiyang Palace, he summoned the ministers. The first thing Liu Che said to them was:

"I want to follow Wu Qi's example and recruit talented people to form a standing army!"

Inside the Xuanshi Hall.

While everyone was still looking at each other in bewilderment, Liu Che, who had not even taken off his military uniform or sat on the dragon couch, was still standing in the center of the hall. He turned to look at Wei Qing and asked directly:

"General, do you think this is feasible?"

"Your Majesty, recruiting standing troops is not difficult for the military. The difficulty lies in finance." The emperor was in a bad mood at the moment, and Wei Qing spoke concisely.

"it is good."

After confirming that there was no problem on this side, Liu Che immediately turned to look at Sang Hongyang, his eyes pointed, "Grand Minister of Agriculture, is there any difficulty with the national treasury?"

"Forehead……"

Sang Hongyang was stared at and felt his hair stand on end. He said, "Your Majesty, recruiting soldiers is different from military service. We need the court to pay for our food and wages. If the number is ..."

"Just say it!"

Liu Che interrupted him rudely, "Are you having any trouble?!"

Seeing the emperor's murderous eyes, Sang Hongyang bowed and said with gritted teeth: "Your Majesty, a small number is feasible, but a large number will be difficult for the court to support!"

The words end here.

The atmosphere in the hall had already frozen. No one knew what the emperor saw and encountered during his trip to the north that made him so indignant.

Liu Ju, who was also standing in the hall, put his hands behind his back and winked at his cousin Huo Qubing, who was wearing armor on his left: "What's wrong?"

Huo Qubing raised his eyebrows grimly and gestured with his lips: "The northern border defense is rotten."

"Oh!"

"A bunch of mediocre officials, acting recklessly!"

At this moment, the anger that had been accumulating in the emperor's chest and causing his strange mood finally erupted. He threw away his whip, kicked the table, put his hands on his hips, and roared:

"It's only been a few years. There has been no war for a few years, and everyone is enjoying the pleasure of love?"

"The border is in urgent need of help, and the war report has been sent. I issued a military order overnight, but they are so good. Some of them are sleeping soundly with their women and ignoring the military report, while others are panicking."

"And... and..."

When the emperor said this, his eyes turned red. He suddenly drew out the prince's sword and chopped it hard at a table at his feet. "Kill his entire family for me!"

Wang Wenshu, the court judge, turned around and looked at the generals who were returning to the capital with the emperor. Li Gan said with a little disdain:
"After hearing the battle report from the front, the governor of Hedong County hesitated to move forward, deliberately falling off his horse and getting injured, delaying the advance."

Hear this.

Wang Wenshu's face darkened, and he turned around and bowed to the emperor, "If you delay the opportunity to fight, you should be executed. I will do it immediately."

After saying this, he turned and left the hall.

At this point, the emperor had vented his anger, or rather, suppressed it. He took up his sword and stepped onto the imperial steps, but did not sit back on the dragon bed and just paced back and forth.

At the same time, he said in a cold voice: "From now on, the Grand Marshal's Mansion will send envoys to inspect the border. Anyone who is slack in border defense will be severely punished!"

"Yes." Wei Qing replied.

Liu Che narrowed his eyes and thought for a while, then added: "The Imperial Censor will establish a new Embroidered Uniform Office and appoint an Embroidered Uniform Censor to hold a staff and tiger talisman and patrol the local areas together!"

This statement came out.

Everyone in the hall, civil and military officials, were shocked, but as their backs felt cold, none of them dared to speak out to dissuade them.

Because the Embroidered Uniform Censor was obviously a cover, a pretext for His Majesty to plant his own spies. Although those spies were not so terrible that people present were terrified at the mention of them, they kept their distance from them.

however.

The scepter represents the presence of the emperor in person, and the tiger talisman can mobilize the army. Isn't the power that the emperor has assigned to Xiuyi too much?

But the echo of Li Gan had not yet faded, the stupid trick of the Hedong County Governor was still there, and the table that the emperor was going to chop was also close at hand...

How to say words of dissuasion?
While everyone was hesitating, Liu Che seemed not to notice anything unusual and continued to order, "General of the Cavalry."

"The minister is here."

"You are to select brave warriors. They can be Han people, Xiongnu people, Qiang people, or Wuhuan people. As long as they are loyal to the Han Dynasty, they can all be recruited!"

The emperor looked at Huo Qubing and said solemnly: "I want an elite force ready to serve at any time. The next time the Huns come again, I don't want to be without soldiers."

"Yes!" Huo Qubing responded in a deep voice.

How to recruit soldiers, how many soldiers to recruit, what kind of organization to give them, and who to put them under, in fact, the emperor had already discussed with the generals around him on his way back to the capital.

now……

I was just speaking to other ministers.

The emperor looked at the two people below the stage again and said, "Grand Minister of Agriculture, Minister of the Imperial Household, from now on, all expenses of the court should be reduced as much as possible."

The order seemed to be only half-said, lacking the reason for doing so, but there was no need for the emperor to explain. After Sang Hongyang and Zhao Yu and all the ministers in the hall heard it, they understood it self-evidently.

Everyone understands why this is done.

This situation is nothing more than a reappearance of the past. The emperor once again entered the cycle of making money, fighting, fighting, and making money...

It is true that troops were dispatched in the previous expeditions against South Vietnam and East Vietnam, but in the eyes of the emperor, the court, and the Han Dynasty, that was not called mobilizing troops.

Declaring war on the Huns, the greatest threat to the Han Dynasty, is called mobilizing troops!

Only then is it worthy of the emperor’s fanfare!

The Xiongnu's southward march awakened a man whose life was filled with the word "martial arts"...

(End of this chapter)