The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 18 What do you want to do?
Cao Mao and Guo Ze sat in front of Guo Jian, with two burly soldiers staring at them from behind.

Guo Jian no longer had the arrogance he had just now, and looked at the two lunatics in front of him with some fear.

His thoughts at this moment were similar to those of Wang Suhuabiao and others.

How can you, a young boy, be so capable of causing trouble?

The Empress Dowager ordered him to escort the Emperor to Luoyang as the General of Defense, with a very clear purpose.

Guo Jian had not thought about how complicated this matter could be. If Cao Mao objected again, he would just take him back. However, he never expected that this bastard Guo Ze would actually teach the emperor to have such a bad character.

In the clan, everyone plays a different role.

Guo De is the successor, Guo Jian is the clan's thug, and Guo Ze is the one who assumes the responsibilities of a Confucian scholar.

The wealthy families of the Han Dynasty all passed down the study of Confucian classics from generation to generation. Therefore, when Guo Ze was still young, the clan decided to let this smart and studious child follow the path of Confucian classics.

The clan invited a great scholar to teach him, hoping that he could also make a name for himself. If a great scholar could emerge in the clan, the entire clan would benefit from it.

From the very beginning, Guo Ze was trained by his clan to become a Confucian scholar and doctor of Confucian studies.

And now it seems that the training method of the big family is indeed excellent!
The good news is that they successfully cultivated an upright Confucian scholar, the bad news is that they cultivated one who was too upright.

Guo Jian is the person in the clan who dislikes Guo Ze the most.

He thought this guy was simply insane.

Looking back now, I was not wrong!

Guo Jian was so angry that he kept pulling out his beard. He didn't dare to take the two men to Luoyang by force. If they tried to commit suicide on the way, it would be a bigger problem.

He paced back and forth for a long time before sitting in front of them again.

"Mao, just listen to me and be the emperor, okay?"

"Don't be so foolish again. You becoming emperor will only benefit the Empress Dowager, not harm her!"

Cao Mao said stubbornly, "Uncle, I know you are deliberately lying to me, and it's all for my own good! I will never do anything that is detrimental to the Guo family!"

"I didn't lie to you! This is the result of a compromise between the two sides! Sima Shi wanted to support Cao Ju, purely for the power within the palace!"

"If he succeeds, the Queen Mother will no longer be the Queen Mother, and we will all be kicked out of the palace. This is our bottom line!"

"do you understand?!"

"Uncle! Why did you lie to me like that? No need to say more, uncle, thank you so much for your kindness. I can't repay you in this life, I can only repay you in the next life!"

"I"

Guo Jian almost jumped up.

"You two idiots! The Queen Mother has already decided to support you! Do you know that? Because of you, my brother went to see Sima Shi and offended him badly. If you don't go now, will Sima Shi spare my family?!"

"Don't even think about the discord now. It's already happened! You have to become the emperor!! Then find a way to make amends!"

Cao Mao looked at him thoughtfully, "Is that so?"

"Right, that is it!"

Cao Mao pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, since there's no way to ease the situation, I won't refuse."

Guo Jian was overjoyed, "Great! Great! It should have been done long ago!"

"Unfortunately, I have no talent. The Queen Mother has been accused of not fulfilling her teaching duties because of the Prince of Qi's lack of virtue. If I do something wrong, wouldn't that bring discredit upon the Queen Mother?"

"No, no, how could I be wrong? You are a great sage! You are better than Yao and Shun! Let's go find Wang Su!"

"Uncle, don't worry."

Cao Mao said seriously, "Uncle, you don't know this. I wrote a letter to the Queen Mother and planned to ask Wang Su to take it back to tell her what was in my heart. However, when I went to see Wang Su, he feigned illness and ignored me completely, only sending Hua Biao to give me some excuses."

"Oh? Is there anything else?"

"Look, this is the letter."

Cao Mao took out the letter from his bosom and said with great confidence:

"Although our Guo family is now looked down upon by the Sima family, we cannot despise ourselves!"

"If I go to him again, he'll think I, Guo, am afraid of him."

Guo Jian nodded and said, "You're right, then let him come?"

"Yes! We have to wait for him to come!"

"If he were to invite us, what would his Wang family be? His father is just starting to make a fortune, and our Guo family has been around for hundreds of years. Can we still rely on his mood?"

"A man like him can become a Nine Ministers, but my Guo family can't. My uncle is also married to the Sima family. How can I be afraid of him?"

"you are right!"

Guo Jian said proudly: "In terms of background, his family is far inferior to ours!"

"Uncle, Sima Shi said he would ascend the throne in five days. There are still more than twenty days left, so there's no need to worry! It's not easy for you to come here, so let me take you out for a few days to show my hospitality!"

"Wait until Wang Su comes to invite me personally, then we'll accept his invitation!"

"it is good!!"

Guo Jian agreed very readily.

His elder brother's instructions were already forgotten. Cao Mao gave Guo Jian the best room in the mansion and invited him to a drink in the evening. Guo Jian was in a good mood and became more and more close to this strange adopted son.

Although he is a little stubborn, one-minded and likes to stir up trouble, this kid is really close to the Guo family. Well, that's not bad!
While they were gathered together, eating meat and drinking wine, Wang Su, who lived in Yuancheng with them, was unable to sleep or eat.

Why haven't you come yet?
Guo Jiandu is here!

Shouldn't you bring people to me right away?
What went wrong?

When Wang Su learned that Guo Jian had come in person, he thought the matter was settled and there was no need to worry anymore.

He even confidently gave orders to everyone to prepare to go to Luoyang.

However, I have been waiting until now and haven’t seen even a single person.

The confidence on Wang Su's face was gradually disappearing.

He sat in the inner room in a daze, asking his followers from time to time, but always got negative answers.

Wang Su was stunned.

What does it mean? ?

It was you who supported the emperor and rushed him to the throne, so what is going on now?

"Go, invite Zheng Mao over!"

Soon, Zheng Mao sat down in front of Wang Su. Wang Su did not hide anything in front of Zheng Mao and asked directly: "Mr. Zheng, Guo Jian arrived in Yuancheng, but stayed in the mansion instead of coming to see me. What do you think is the reason?"

"Could something have happened in Luoyang?"

Wang Su’s meaning was very simple. He wanted to know whether the Guo family was his opponent or his ally.

Zheng Mao calmly replied, "Prince, you don't need to worry. It's the Guo family that should be worried. We are only here to welcome the emperor. It's not our fault that he's unwilling to ascend the throne."

Wang Su was silent for a moment, then whispered, "I think this emperor is no ordinary person. I'm just worried that we'll get a bad reputation."

Zheng Mao shook his head. "Absolutely not. The general may seem resolute, but he's actually very thoughtful and can endure what ordinary people can't. You don't have to worry. Since the Guo family isn't in a hurry and the general hasn't urged us, we'll just wait."

"Um"

"Let's wait for a while. If they don't make any move, we'll go one last time. If he still refuses, then we can go back."

"only."

After Zheng Mao left Wang Su, he went straight to the house where the Huabiao was located.

Zheng Mao knocked on the door gently. As soon as Huabiao opened the door, Zheng Mao rushed in.

"Why are you here? Are you leaving?"

"No results yet. What did you discuss with His Majesty today?"

Zheng Mao sat down as he spoke, without any awkwardness at all.

Zheng Mao lost his father when he was young. He followed his uncle Zheng Hun to take refuge in Jiangdong and depended on Hua Xin. Hua Xin took care of Zheng Mao as his own son.

In private, Zheng Mao also called Huabiao his brother.

Hua Biao said impatiently: "We just talked about some things about my father, nothing else."

"However, during our conversation, I saw that His Majesty is extremely wise and willing to be close to talented people and stay away from villains. The Queen Mother is right to want him to ascend the throne."

Zheng Mao frowned and whispered, "Brother, I think the current emperor has the talent of Emperor Wu, the strategy of Emperor Wen, and the mind of Emperor Ming. Given time, he will surely become a great ruler."

Hua Biao was stunned. "You think so highly of him? Just because he's humble?"

"Brother, none of this matters. It's just that you shouldn't get too entangled with him."

"When we were in Luoyang, I advised you not to come. Supporting an emperor can be a blessing or a curse. If Your Majesty gets into trouble, who will protect you?"

Huabiao's face suddenly turned pale and his voice trembled.

"what do you mean?"

"Brother, if the emperor is mediocre, you can get the credit for supporting him, but if he causes trouble, you will not be able to escape the punishment."

"I think it would be best if you resigned from your post after returning to Luoyang, hiding at home until things change, and then return to the government. Otherwise, you will be in great trouble."

Huabiao was sweating profusely and looked even more uneasy.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I tried to persuade you before, but you refused."

"At that time, I didn't expect that the Guo family would support such a person."

"Such a person is like a sword in its sheath. Its sharpness is invisible on ordinary days, but once it is unsheathed, it will surely draw blood."

"Also, his behavior these past few days has been very strange. I think he must be planning something."

"Then shall we go and report this to the prince now?!"

Zheng Mao was silent for a long time before he replied, "Duke Xuanwen has shown me great appreciation. I can only repay this kindness by working diligently and fulfilling my duties to the best of my ability. I dare not ask for any other rewards."

"Besides, we don't know what the Township Lord wants to do. We are just guessing, and there is no point in saying more."

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. But what exactly does this noble man want to do?"

(End of this chapter)