Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Xin Pi was a man of a serious disposition. He said that he would choose a feasible way for Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba, so he really stayed in Guzang City, waiting for the return of the envoy sent to Tufa Agu.

On July 24th, the envoy finally returned to Guzang.

The forty-year-old state official named Chen Kai bowed to the three people and saluted:

"Lord Xin, General Sima, and General Xiahou, I have fulfilled my mission and have received Tufa Agu's promise!"

Xin Pi glanced at Sima Fu, who understood and asked, "What did Tufa A'gu promise you? Do you have a token?"

"Yes, he immediately ordered someone to write a document in the account and also used the seal." Chen Kai presented a sack. Sima Fu walked forward to take it, opened it, took a few glances at it, and then handed it to Xin Pi.

"Mr. Xin is a man of extraordinary wisdom and strategy. What Tuoba A'gu said is consistent with what Mr. Xin said before." Sima Fu said softly.

Xin Pi stared at it for a few moments and nodded slightly: "The Hexi Xianbei have gathered more than 100,000 people. Tufa Agu has something to ask for, and his more than 100,000 people must also have something to ask for. Only when both the upper and lower levels meet their demands can we reach an agreement with those Hu people."

Xiahou Ba sighed, "If Lord Xin hadn't been here, Brother Shuda and I would never have been able to come up with these prices."

"We opened a trade in Wuwei, exchanging cloth, silk, grain, gold, silver, and utensils for cattle, sheep, and horses with the Hu people. This gave them another way to survive."

"Allow Tufa Agu to plunder the miscellaneous Hu people except his own tribe, Lushui Hu and Juyan Hu, and supply miners to Wei. This is to seek wealth for the nobles among the Hu people there."

"He conferred the title of nobility on Tufa Agu and allowed the Hexi Xianbei to separate from the Western Xianbei and form their own tribe. This was to seek benefits for Tufa Agu."

"The people, the nobles, and Tufa Agu, Xin Gonggong has bribed all three of them at the same time with the price he offered. What reason do they have to refuse?"

"That is..." Xiahou Ba asked Xin Pi tentatively, "Will His Majesty and the Central Government respond?"

Xin Pi stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty and I have never doubted each other. It takes two months for a message to be delivered from Wuwei to Shouchun. If we wait until Your Majesty agrees, it will be too late. Since I can promise these conditions, the Central Government will definitely agree."

"You two can rest assured."

"Yes, Lord Xin is the Minister of the Left, in charge of government affairs, just like the prime minister in the Han Dynasty..."

Sima Fu had just said a few words when Xin Pi stopped him: "What kind of prime minister am I? There is no prime minister in the Wei Dynasty now. Not to mention me alone, even if you tie up the four ministers together, you can't be considered a real prime minister!"

Sima Fu laughed awkwardly a few times.

……

Jianye, Wu Palace.

Diao Jia and Diao Xuan knelt on the cold ground in the hall, looking a little panicked and helpless. They were brought back to Jianye from Jiangxia and Wuchang by Xu Xiang, who was sent by Jianye. They hurried into the city and then hurried into the palace, but they did not expect to face such a serious scene in the palace!

There were three people sitting on each side, namely Shi Yi, Hu Zong, Xu Xiang, as well as Prime Minister Gu Yong, Shaofu Pan Jun and School Secretary Lu Yi.

This was also the first time in a few months that Gu Yong was able to enter the palace. However, when he saw Diao Jia and Diao Xuan, Gu Yong's heart sank.

I think it will be difficult for these two to get a good result today.

Sun Quan asked coldly, "Diao Xuan, I want to ask you, why did you instigate the Crown Prince to argue with me? What is your intention?"

Diao Xuan was startled, and looked up at Sun Quan. When Xu Xiang invited him and Diao Jia back from Wuchang, he was very polite and only said that he had something to do in Beijing. However, he did not expect to be questioned by Sun Quan himself. "Your Majesty, where did you get this from?" Diao Xuan argued, "How dare I instigate the prince?"

"Still being stubborn." Sun Quan snorted coldly, "Let me ask you again, who told the Crown Prince that I sent someone to investigate the Prime Minister? Who told the Crown Prince that Lu Mao committed suicide in prison out of fear of crime? In front of me, do you dare to say it wasn't you?"

This is an information gap.

Xu Xiang knew that he brought Diao Jia and Diao Xuan back for interrogation, but perhaps out of face or out of sympathy, he did not tell them why Sun Quan summoned them.

Diao Xuan and Diao Jia also discussed privately on the way that apart from the matter of the crown prince, there would be no other matter. Now the death of Lu Mao is spreading like wildfire, saying that Sun Quan ordered Hu Zong to kill Lu Mao in prison. If Sun Quan really takes it seriously, the two will definitely not end up well. It is better to muddy the waters. There is no need to die in vain!
"Your Majesty, it is true that I and the Crown Prince told him about the matter of Minister Lu, but I was not the only one who said that the Prime Minister was under investigation!" Diao Xuan argued loudly.

"Oh? So you admit it?" Sun Quan glanced at Diao Xuan.

Diao Xuan felt a chill on the back of his neck and explained repeatedly, "Your Majesty, I dare not instigate the Crown Prince. It is said that the Crown Prince has written a letter to Your Majesty. I am just a guest of the Crown Prince. How can I interfere with what the Crown Prince writes?"

Sun Quan heard the hidden meaning in Diao Xuan's words: "Let's talk about Minister Lu first. Did you hear it from Diao Jia?"

"Yes." Diao Xuan did not dare to deny it completely: "The military pay of the Right General's troops has always been paid by the court to Jiangxia Prefecture, and Jiangxia Prefecture then paid it to the Right General's troops. The county official who transported copper coins from Jianye to Jiangxia just learned about this in Jianye before leaving, so he told the prefect Diao about it. The prefect Diao wrote a letter to me, and then I learned about it and told the prince. As a guest of the prince, I have the responsibility to collect information for the prince."

"That's a matter for later." Sun Quan insisted, "Who told you that the Prime Minister was under investigation?"

"It is true that Governor Diao told me about this matter, and I also told the Crown Prince. But I was not the only one who said it!"

"Who else?" Sun Quan walked over with big strides. Every step he took made a sound. To Diao Xuan and Diao Jia, it sounded like a death knell.

Diao Xuan suddenly raised his head, looked into Sun Quan's eyes, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, before I told the Crown Prince about this, the Assistant Commandant Gu Zimo and the Right Commandant Zhang Shusi both told the Crown Prince, and I was the last one to do so! Whatever letter the Crown Prince wrote was discussed with the 'Four Friends', and I have no right to know!"

When these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was shocked.

Gu Zimo is Gu Tan, the grandson of Prime Minister Gu Yong, and Zhang Shusi is Zhang Xiu, the son of veteran minister Zhang Zhao!

"Ridiculous!" Prime Minister Gu Yong stood up from the table suddenly, not caring about etiquette, and pointed his finger at Diao Xuan: "Don't talk nonsense. When His Majesty ordered the officials to interrogate me, my whole family stayed at home and no one went out. How could we send a message to Jingzhou? Gu Shao has always acted prudently and politely, and he would definitely not instigate the prince and His Majesty to say something inappropriate!"

Only after Gu Yong finished speaking did Sun Quan look at him again: "Prime Minister, you are in my palace and you don't allow my subjects to speak?"

Gu Yong opened his eyes wide and looked intently at Sun Quan, only to find that this king, whom he had known for thirty years, seemed so strange today.

Even with Gu Yong's magnanimity, he was so angry that he was speechless for a moment, and he clasped his hands and said, "It was my fault for speaking out of turn."

After saying this, Gu Yong did not even wait for Sun Quan's reply. He just sat down at the table, turned his head away, and no longer looked at the situation in the hall.

Diao Xuan said quickly: "It was not the Prime Minister's family, but the Prime Minister's nephew Gu Jize who sent people to Wuchang, and they reported the news in the name of delivering a military report!"

"As for Zhang Shusi, it was Shangshu Xue, the Minister of the Secretariat, who first sent a message to the General, who then sent someone to Wuchang to talk to Zhang Shusi!"

The rear general was Zhang Zhao’s eldest son, Zhang Cheng, who was also Zhang Xiu’s elder brother.

As Diao Xuan finished speaking, the hall fell into an eerie silence.

Chaos! It's all chaos! (End of this chapter)