Han officials

Chapter 218 Predestined Cause and Effect
In the second year of Chuping, on the tenth month of winter, on the day of Wuxu.

No sooner had the envoy to Xuzhou left than Wei Zhe held a grand banquet for all parties in Lunu County.

To put it bluntly, he was taking advantage of the opportunity to take a concubine to cultivate relationships with powerful families from all over Zhongshan.

Secondly, this grand concubine-taking ceremony was a way to reciprocate the favor to the Zhen family of Zhongshan.

Without Zhen's defection, Wei Zhe's attempt to seize Zhongshan would have been virtually impossible. Without Zhongshan, the stability of Zhuojun would be jeopardized, and the progress of the Bingzhou immigration program would be severely hampered.

From this perspective, Zhen's contribution was indeed extraordinary.

However, to the Zhen family and other families in Zhongshan who were unaware of the inside story, Wei Zhe's move was undoubtedly an attempt to curry favor.

This made the Zhongshan gentry, who had been somewhat worried, breathe a sigh of relief.

Because the State of Zhongshan was adjacent to Zhuojun, they were quite aware of some of Wei Zhe's quirks.

For example—the matter of military colonies!
Although compared to land reclamation, land reclamation was merely scratching the surface, many powerful clans still found it an eyesore.

So the maids in the county temple were very busy early in the morning because there were too many people coming to offer their congratulations.

It's unclear why Madam Zhen has such unique taste; the maids' elegant outer skirts were adorned with bright red trousers underneath, which Wei Zhe found rather offensive.

Fortunately, Zhen Rong was very beautiful; otherwise, Wei Zhe would have truly sold himself into servitude for the country.

As for Wei Zhe's nine-year-old sister-in-law, Zhen Mi, he didn't see anything particularly beautiful about her.

Presumably, the title of Goddess of the Luo River was also determined by worldly status and position.

However, given Wei Zhe's current status and position, he certainly wouldn't lack beautiful women.

Compared to mere physical beauty, he actually cares more about the additional attributes behind a beautiful woman.

……

In the evening, the wedding ceremony was completed.

In the grand hall, Wei Zhe sat at the head of the table, with guests seated at two other tables.

Above Wei Zhe, within the vermilion curtains, another square tent was erected. The tent's top was decorated with cloud, bird, and animal patterns on a bright red background, and bright red curtains hung down around it, making it extremely luxurious.

A tent is a tent that is spread out on a bed.

This is actually a curtain, but smaller, which serves to protect against wind and dust and keep warm. It is usually used indoors.

For example, at this moment, this magnificent and dazzling square tent has become the center of everyone's attention.

The reason was simple: sitting in the tent were Wei Zhe's father, Wei Xuan, and his mother, Liu.

Originally, it was just a concubine's marriage and there was no need to pay respects to the parents-in-law, but Wei Zhe married her according to the standards for a wife.

From this perspective, Wei Zhe can also be considered one of the culprits in the collapse of social order.

In other words, the Zhen family of Zhongshan was not as powerful as Guo Shengtong's maternal family; otherwise, Guan Yan would probably have followed in Yin Lihua's footsteps.

Fortunately, Wei Zhe brought his parents over, which is why the hall was so lively today.

While the Zhen family wielded considerable influence in the Zhongshan Kingdom, they were not considered the most powerful.

The Liu family of Zhongshan was truly the leading clan in the state of Zhongshan.

After all, you can tell just by the name—Zhongshan State, which is naturally a state of the Liu family.

Of course, the current King of Zhongshan had already died in the war.

If it weren't for Dong Zhuo's misrule and the lack of communication between the court and the local areas, the State of Zhongshan would probably have been abolished long ago.

Even so, the Liu clan of Zhongshan remained the largest clan in the Zhongshan Kingdom.

For example, the Liu clans of Hanchang, Wangdu, Puyin, and Anguo were all first- or second-class aristocratic families in the Zhongshan State.

Most importantly, all four families are descendants of Liu Sheng, the Prince of Zhongshan of the Former Han Dynasty, making them far more authentic than Liu Bei.

Among them, the Liu family of Anguo has produced a famous scholar in recent years, Liu You, who was one of the Eight Worthies and once served as the Grand Minister of Agriculture. At the beginning of Emperor Liu Hong's reign, when Chen Fan was in charge of the government, he appointed Liu You as the Governor of Henan.

If Liu Bei had a noble lineage like that of the Liu family of Zhongshan, he probably wouldn't have had to work so hard to enter officialdom.

However, there's a reason why the Liu family of Zhongshan has been able to prosper to this day.

For example, Liu Hui, the head of the Liu family of Wangdu and the former chief administrator of Jizhou, came up to wish Liu, the mother of Wei Zhe, a happy birthday.

I don't know where he got this from, or if he's ever read the family genealogy, but he always starts by referring to his aunt.

Although Prince Liu Yu of Lu and Prince Liu Sheng of Zhongshan are half-brothers, isn't it a bit too hasty to recognize them as relatives like this?

However, Liu smiled and nodded, accepting the offer without hesitation.

Seeing that Liu Hui had won the first prize, the various families from Zhongshan in the hall secretly felt contempt.

But on the other hand, these people also used this opportunity to congratulate Liu.

Seeing this, Wei Xuan inside the tent shook his head helplessly. He really hadn't expected that the benefits of his family marrying a woman from a humble background would actually extend to the next generation.

For a moment, Wei Xuan didn't know whether he should boast about his foresight.

Only Wei Zhe sat calmly behind his desk, watching the scene unfold with a smile.

To be honest, he wasn't afraid of these people having ulterior motives; he was afraid they had no ulterior motives.

As long as the major clans of Zhongshan are willing to cooperate, Wei Zhe has a way to completely assimilate the Zhongshan Kingdom.

……

The red candles were lit in the bridal chamber last night.
Wait until dawn to pay respects to uncle and aunt in front of the hall.

After putting on makeup, she whispered to her husband,
The depth of eyebrows is fashionable.

Regardless of how Wei Zhe and Zhen Rong enjoyed their relationship, the bride looked radiant and glowing the next day.

With just one wedding banquet, Wei Zhe essentially stabilized the Zhongshan Kingdom, which he had just occupied.

However, Wei Zhe knew that this was only temporary, and that the real solution would depend on the methods of the Zhongshan Chancellor he was in charge of.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe was momentarily at a loss.

Although he has many talented people under his command who are capable of serving as governors, what the Zhongshan Kingdom needs right now is more than just talent.

Wei Zhe looked quite troubled and asked, "Yuan Hao, do you have any recommendations?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Feng pondered for a moment, then replied without hesitation, "Geng Wenwei is qualified for this position!"

"Geng Wu?" Wei Zhe frowned slightly. "How can you be so sure?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Feng did not answer directly, but instead brought up an old story.

"When Han Wenjie was the governor of Ji Province, he heard that Yuan Shao had raised an army to attack Dong Zhuo. He once consulted with his colleagues and asked, 'Should we help Yuan or Dong?' At that time, Liu Hui, the chief administrator, angrily said, 'Raising an army is for the country. Why ask about Yuan or Dong?' Therefore, Han Wenjie was displeased."

"After the warlords launched their campaign against Dong Zhuo, Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, wrote a letter to Liu Hui, in which he said, 'Dong Zhuo is wicked and is condemned by all under heaven. He will die soon and is not worth worrying about. But after Dong Zhuo's death, we should turn back to attack Han Wenjie and punish him for his leniency.' Liu Hui knew that he wanted to plot against Jizhou, so he did not hide anything and directly sealed the letter and presented it to Han Wenjie."

At this point, Tian Feng said with considerable disdain:

"When Han Wenjie learned of this, he was terrified. Instead of rewarding Han Wenjie for his merits, he blamed Liu Hui and wanted to execute him on the spot. Geng Wu, who was serving as the Prefectural Attendant, immediately knelt before Liu Hui and offered to be executed as well. Liu Hui was spared, but he was still dismissed from his post, punished as a prisoner, made to wear ochre clothes, and made to sweep outside the palace gates every day."

No wonder Tian Feng was unwilling to serve Han Fu when Han Fu served as the governor of Ji Province.

After all, given his personality, he had the utmost contempt for a narrow-minded lord who rewarded and punished others at will.

If Han Fu hadn't chosen to commit suicide on the night of the Ye City mutiny, Tian Feng would have had no pressure serving Yuan Shao at all.

Upon hearing Tian Feng's words, Wei Zhe couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

Firstly, he hadn't expected that Liu Hui, the head of the Wangdu Liu family at the banquet that day, would have such a past;

Secondly, he hadn't expected that there was such a relationship between Geng Wu and Liu Hui.

As for Han Fu's incompetence, Wei Zhe was not surprised at all.

In reality, even without Yuan Shao, Han Fu would not have been able to secure his position as Governor of Ji Province.

Those who cannot command troops above or command the masses below will ultimately meet a more tragic end, especially those in high positions.

One whose virtue does not match his position, and whose talent is unfit for the task. This is the principle at play.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this quality that Dong Zhuo felt comfortable appointing Han Fu as the governor of Ji Province.

However, after a moment's thought, Wei Zhe couldn't help but smile.

"Excellent!" Wei Zhe stroked his beard and laughed, "Then let's do it this way, summon Geng Wu."

Anyway, Wei Zhe hasn't rewarded Geng Wu for turning the Zhen family of Zhongshan against the government yet, so now it's just the right time to use him.

In this way, while rewarding those who had rendered meritorious service, the Zhongshan State could remain as stable as Mount Tai.

As long as the Zhen and Liu families do not rebel in Zhongshan, Yuan Shao is not a threat even if he colludes with some minor gentry.

As for Geng Wu, the Chancellor of Zhongshan, there's even less to worry about.

After all, if Geng Wu had been willing to serve Yuan Shao, he wouldn't have fought so desperately on the night of the Ye City mutiny.

Especially after he protected Han Xi and helped him defect to Wei Zhe, Yuan Shao probably hated Geng Wu to the core.

From any perspective, there is really no one more suitable than Geng Wu under Wei Zhe's command.

Indeed, after Wei Zhe led his army away, Geng Wu quickly took control of the Zhongshan Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, couldn't help but fall into deep thought as he looked at the letter before him...
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Sigh, I'm tired, the more I write, the more tired I get.

There must be something wrong with my writing method, but I can't pinpoint what's wrong. It's driving me crazy...

(End of this chapter)