Han officials

Chapter 14 The wind started at the end of Qingping

A few days ago, with the fall of Guangzong City and the surrender of Zhang Jue, messengers reporting the victory flocked to Luoyang in twos and threes like returning birds, some official and some private.

Within two days, the news reached the capital.

Three quarters past three in the afternoon, Nangong Palace in Luoyang.

"Lord Zhang, Lord Zhao, great joy! Guangzong has been conquered, and that bastard Zhang Jue is dead!"

Zhang Rang and others who were discussing the matter were about to get angry when they were interrupted, but when they heard this, they immediately looked surprised.

Zhang Rang, with his hair and beard now grizzled, sighed with emotion, "He's finally dead! This fellow made us so miserable!"

Zhao Zhong, who was as sinister as an eagle, nodded when he heard this.

"In the final analysis, the emperor is virtuous. Even if there are a few ant thieves, it is nothing."

"Your Majesty should be in Hehuan Palace right now, right? Let's go and tell him the good news. Your Majesty has been extremely worried about state affairs these days!"

The eunuch who came to report the news, Cai Yi, was moved by this and immediately reported in a low voice: "Lord Zhao, I heard that Jian Shuo has led the messenger directly to see Your Majesty. I am afraid that..."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others stopped in their tracks.

Zhao Zhong immediately narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Young people are really nimble, much better than old bones like us!"

At this point, Zhao Zhong turned to look at Zhang Rang standing beside him and sneered, "Your Majesty might even make him a Palace Attendant if he feels so inclined. If that happens, we'll have to abdicate and let the wiser take over!"

Zhao Zhong's words were not alarmist. You should know that the position of Xiao Huangmen was originally only lower than that of Zhong Changshi, and because Xiao Huangmen was mainly responsible for the delivery of documents and daily supplies, although Xiao Huangmen's status was not as high as that of Zhong Changshi, he could still influence the emperor to some extent through daily contact.

For example, although Jian Shuo was only a eunuch, the emperor had been paying attention to military affairs since the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Because Jian Shuo was physically strong and had military strategy, the emperor had been quite close to him recently.

As for Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others who were once called "Father" and "Mother" by the emperor, they had to keep a low profile recently because of their involvement with the Taiping Dao.

Therefore, Zhao Zhong had disliked Jian Shuo for a long time, and now he just had even more murderous intent towards him.

Zhang Rang, however, was much calmer than Zhao Zhong. Although he was also slightly angry, he hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "Don't worry! You must know that the outsiders have been trying to destroy us for a long time, and the emperor has become somewhat distant from us recently. If Jian Shuo could serve as a eunuch, we would be able to gain an additional helping hand."

Feng Xian, Duan Gui and others on the side thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case. They nodded slightly without saying anything.

……

Not to mention how the eunuchs in the palace were scheming against each other.

After receiving the good news from Huangfu Song, the current emperor Liu Hong was naturally overjoyed.

The Secretariat of the outer court also felt relieved.

Especially when the good news from Quyang came back a few days later, there was even more joy in the capital.

God knows how much fear the Yellow Turban uprising in the eight states caused to these nobles in the capital.

Many powerful people even thought that the Green Forest and Red Eyebrows rebels would rise again, and they all prepared to return to their hometowns to seek refuge.

Fortunately, the Han Dynasty’s mandate of heaven was not lost, and Luoyang remained a prosperous place.

However, the rich and idle people in Luoyang City can continue to live a life of drunkenness and debauchery, but the emperor and the Secretariat cannot.

Although the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, Huangfu Song's presence made all the officials feel uneasy.

The emperor felt even more uneasy, worried that Huangfu Song might have some inappropriate thoughts.

After all, after being tempered by war, the army under his command may be the most capable one in the current Han Dynasty.

If Huangfu Song were to lead this army of 50,000 fierce warriors to Luoyang, it would be a greater threat than the million Yellow Turbans.

So when Wei Zhe and others were sitting in Xiaquyang waiting for their rewards, the court was thinking about how to deal with them.

……

On November 9, the imperial edict of reward finally came down.

Not surprisingly, Huangfu Song received the most rewards:
He was appointed as the governor of Jizhou and was granted the title of Marquis of Huaili, with the jurisdiction over Huaili and Meiyang counties, covering a total of 8,000 households. He was also appointed as the Left General of Chariots and Cavalry.

The second most generous reward was given to Right General Zhu Jun.

Yes, Zhu Jun was still in Wancheng, and the court was eager to reward him.

Wei Zhe, sitting in the audience, only learned through the imperial edict that Zhu Jun had finally captured Wancheng three days ago. Although the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang were scattered, at least on the surface, Nanyang County had not lost any of its counties.

Fortunately, he won in time, otherwise Wei Zhe and others would not know how long they would have to wait in Xiaquyang.

The current emperor obviously has high hopes for Zhu Jun.

The imperial edict stated: Zhu Jun was appointed Right General of Chariots and Cavalry, and was made a Grand Master of Imperial Households. He was granted the title of Marquis of Qiantang and his fiefdom was increased by 5,000.

The most important thing is to order Zhu Jun to lead his troops back to the capital.

When hearing this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but say in his heart, "As expected."

After all, there had never been such a title as "Left Cavalry General" before, and the court's move was clearly a sign of distrust towards Huangfu Song. What Wei Zhe could think of, others could naturally understand, not to mention Huangfu Song, the person involved.

Everyone subconsciously looked at Huangfu Song, and the atmosphere in the training ground suddenly became a little subtle.

However, Huangfu Song was somewhat dazed at the moment. For some reason, he suddenly remembered Yan Zhong's words from the celebration banquet that night:
"General, you have already made meritorious contributions that have gone unrewarded, yet you still have to serve the mediocre lord in the north. Are you willing to accept this?"

"Even if the general is willing, can the mediocre lord in the north be at ease?"

"A rotten tree cannot be carved, and a declining world is hard to support. What good is it for a general to be loyal?"

"Under a tyrant ruler, it will be difficult to stay long! If you don't act soon, you'll regret it!"

"Why not rise to the south and claim power, unifying the world? Such a treasure will surely be yours!"

At this moment, those words of advice lingered in Huangfu Song's ears like a devilish voice.

However, when Huangfu Song saw the nervous expression of the eunuch who announced the decree, his eyes became firm again.

Just as he said to Yan Zhong that night:

Although he was executed for his loyalty, he still had a good reputation.

Death is immortality, what else is there to say!

Thinking of this, Huangfu Song calmly took off the seal of command and placed it firmly on the tray beside him.

Seeing this, everyone on the training ground couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Especially Cao Cao, the cavalry commander standing behind Huangfu Song, felt relieved at this moment.

After all, he received a "family letter" from Luoyang last night, which repeatedly gave him instructions.

If something unexpected really happened today, he would have to stand up and stop it even if it meant death.

Fortunately, the worst did not happen.

While Cao Cao, a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, was rejoicing for the court, Wei Zhe in the crowd was only thinking about rewards.

But to his disappointment, his name did not appear on the imperial edict from beginning to end, but some sons of noble families who did not appear on the battlefield were listed.

Obviously, if someone is rewarded without any merit, then there must be someone in the court who would not care about the way things are done.

In comparison, although Cao Cao was named the Prime Minister of Jinan, he at least went to the battlefield to kill the enemy and made great contributions.

From this perspective, Cao Cao is much better than those handsome nobles in Luoyang City.

Of course, in the eyes of the disappointed Wei Zhe at this moment, both of them are equally hateful.

Just as Wei Zhe, who was full of resentment, was considering whether to become the second Zhang Jiao, he saw the eunuch take out another imperial edict.

It turns out that the reward just now was only for those with an income of 600 shi or more, but now the emperor has personally issued an edict.

As for the middle and low-level officials below 600 shi and those who were commoners but had made contributions, the current emperor was obviously too lazy to ask about them and directly handed these miscellaneous matters to the Secretariat for handling.

Wei Zhe turned his worry into joy upon seeing this, and waited patiently. Then he heard his name called:
"Appoint Wei Zhe as Daifangling, with a rank of 600 dan, a bronze seal and a black ribbon..."

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(End of this chapter)