The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 184 Don’t worry
Outside the Taichang Palace.

A young man in his twenties was walking towards this side quickly, holding a thick book.

This young man has a very handsome face and a dignified bearing. His expression is solemn and his walking posture is so upright that no one dares to look down on him.

When he walked to the door, Dr. Binli was about to go out. When he saw the young man, Dr. Binli was stunned and hurriedly bowed to greet him.

"Maoxian? Why are you here?"

Dr. Binli asked suspiciously.

This young man was none other than Zhang Hua, Doctor of the Imperial Household.

Zhang Hua asked in confusion, "Where else can I go if I don't come here?"

Dr. Binli laughed. "Don't you know about the important events in the court?"

"Oh? What happened?"

Dr. Binli looked around and whispered, "I heard that the general is seriously ill and wants the queen mother to take power!"

Zhang Hua nodded and asked again, "What does this have to do with my work at the Taichang Palace?"

"What are we supposed to do now? The Minister of Rites hasn't come yet, and most of the officials have gone back home. At this critical moment, don't think about trivial matters."

Zhang Hua replied, "Just because there's a change in the government, can you just ignore your own affairs?"

"As a Doctor of the Imperial Household, I believe that whether the ceremonial objects within the Imperial Household are damaged is more important than worrying about the Empress Dowager's power in the court."

Dr. Binli was stunned for a moment, then he smiled bitterly and said, "Please don't say this to anyone else."

Seeing that Zhang Hua didn't care at all and wanted to continue working, the doctor didn't try to persuade him anymore and said goodbye and left.

Zhang Hua walked into the Taichang Mansion. The mansion, which was originally bustling, was now empty. Zhang Hua didn't care about it at all. He first checked various ritual objects to make sure that they were intact, and then returned to his seat and started reading.

The position of Taichang Doctor was a sinecure, and his daily work was to check ritual objects.

They only become busy when ministers die, and they are also responsible for negotiating posthumous titles.

Of course, when there are disputes over rituals or when large-scale sacrifices are required, these people are needed to step forward and take action.

The rest of the time, they would read books in the mansion, and occasionally go to the Imperial Academy to learn about the many etiquettes of the current dynasty.

Zhang Hua held the scroll in his hand and read it with great fascination.

He really doesn't care much about what's happening in the court.

Zhang Hua was born into the Zhang family of Fanyang. His father was a prefect, and his ancestor was the Marquis of Liu of the Western Han Dynasty.

There are many descendants of the Liuhou family, and they are spread all over the Han Dynasty.

Although he came from a wealthy family, Zhang Hua's life was not good, mainly because his father died very early. The scholars and officials of that era did not seem to live long, probably because of the medicine he took.

After his father's death, Zhang Hua fell from grace. He even fell to the point where he had to herd sheep for others to make a living. This was a huge blow to a nobleman.

However, after suffering this blow, Zhang Hua became more resilient.

When he was young, he paid attention to cultivating his body and mind, was cautious in his words and deeds, bravely acted when doing what was right, and helped those in need, which made him deeply loved by everyone.

He was highly regarded by his fellow townsmen, including Lu Yu's son Lu Qin and his father-in-law Liu Fang.

The most important thing is that he was very knowledgeable and there was nothing he didn't know. Later, he wrote an article to express his political views, which was commented on by Ruan Ji, making him famous all over the world. The prefect of Yuyang, Xianyu Si, personally recommended him to be the Doctor of Taichang.

Most of the ministers with extraordinary talents have suffered hardships.

Zhang Hua was reading a book with his head down when suddenly, he heard footsteps in the distance.

Zhang Hua looked up and saw a group of people walking towards him. They were holding various ceremonial objects. Zhang Hua stood up. He recognized what those objects represented and saluted without waiting for the other party to speak.

The leader was a eunuch. Seeing Zhang Hua was so tactful, he felt much better. He took out the imperial edict and read it aloud.

"Appoint Zhang Hua, Doctor of the Imperial Household, as the Imperial Assistant Minister."

Zhang Hua was a little surprised.

This is the Queen Mother's decree.

Isn't it said that the Queen Mother is very busy? How could she have the time to issue an imperial edict to herself?
The Yellow Gate Minister accompanied the emperor, conveyed imperial edicts, and ran errands for the emperor.

Zhang Hua didn't have time to think about it and quickly bowed again, "I obey your order."

Mr. Guo was very happy. After saying a few more words, he led his people away in a hurry. They had another stop to go to.

Zhang Hua was still a little stunned at this moment.

Although I don't know why the Queen Mother did this, as a minister, I have to obey the Queen Mother's order.

After receiving the imperial edict, he did not pack up and leave, but continued to wait here.

It was not until the evening, when it was time to rest, that Zhang Hua left his post.

Back home, Zhang Hua began to prepare for tomorrow's affairs. Just then, a distinguished guest arrived. "Mr. Mao! Mr. Mao!"

Zhang Hua listened to the voice and walked out, only to see a man standing in the courtyard with a helpless look on his face.

This person is much older than Zhang Hua and looks 70% similar to Lu Yu. This person is Lu Yu's son Lu Qin.

Lu Qin was originally recruited by Cao Shuang. Many capable ministers in the court were actually Cao Shuang's former subordinates. As a general, he should be able to summon the most powerful talents in the world to serve him. This was the case with He Jin in the past, and it was the same with Cao Shuang later, and Sima Shi as well. However, it depends on whether he can make good use of these people.

Later, because Cao Shuang was killed, he was also dismissed and resigned from his post and stayed at home.

But after all, his father was still there, and the court recruited him again, and he served as the Imperial Censor and the Prefect of Langya. Later, Sima Yi, taking his father's identity into consideration, recruited Lu Qin to serve as his subordinate, and sent him out to serve as the Prefect, Governor of Huaibei, and General Fubo, and he accumulated great merit and qualifications.

After Sima Shi came to power, he recruited him as Palace Attendant. After Cao Mao entered the officialdom, he was moved to the position of Minister of Agriculture to replace Wang Xiang who completed the three consecutive promotions.

The father and son served in the same court, but they could clearly distinguish between public and private affairs.

They even had different views on some issues. Lu Yu always kept a distance from the Sima family, while Lu Qin was closer to Sima Zhao.

Of course, this does not prevent Lu Qin from being a very talented minister. In the three generations of Mr. Lu's family, there has not been a single unqualified minister. Three generations of capable ministers have assisted three dynasties respectively. Lu Zhi supported the Han Dynasty, Lu Yu governed the Wei Dynasty, and Lu Qin stabilized the Jin Dynasty.

Seeing Zhang Hua coming out, Lu Qin shook his head helplessly.

"It's fine you don't want to bring your family over, but why don't you even want the servants? I've been knocking on the door for half an hour!"

Zhang Hua quickly bowed and said, "I'm sorry for being rude."

"No problem, no problem."

Lu Qin didn't really mean to blame him. He admired the young man in front of him very much. In Lu Qin's eyes, this young man was simply a rough diamond. He would surely shine in the future and might even become the next Liu Hou of the new era.

Of course, this was his view in the past. Given the current situation, it is a big question whether the next era can come.

Lu Qin followed Zhang Hua into the study. Zhang Hua was a poor man and did not like extravagance, and Lu Qin was the same.

"Maoxian, the government is in turmoil right now, and we need someone new. I'm going to recommend you to my father and have you go directly to the Shangshutai, where the real work is done."

Zhang Hua was stunned for a moment, then explained, "Lord Lu, today I received an imperial edict from the Queen Mother, ordering me to go to the Imperial Palace and serve as the Imperial Court Assistant Minister."

"what?!"

Lu Qin was stunned.

He immediately frowned. How could someone else have snatched up this talented guy he had been eyeing for so long?
He asked again, "The Queen Mother's decree?"

"Yes."

Lu Qin was silent for a moment and began to think.

"This must be His Majesty's intention. His Majesty has always been fond of literature and poetry. He must have heard of your talent from Lord Ruan and wanted to keep you by his side."

Lu Qin thought of the most reasonable explanation and said helplessly, "Maoxian, how about this? You stay in the mansion first. I will go find my father and ask him to persuade the Queen Mother. With him coming forward, the Queen Mother will definitely not refute it. There are so many people in this world who are good at writing poems. If I ask you to drink and write poems beside His Majesty, it will be a waste of your talent!"

Zhang Hua shook his head. "Lord Lu, I've already received the order. How can I not go?"

"Alas, His Majesty is still young. How can you, a talent like you, waste your time? The Secretariat is full of talented people. You can be a Secretary and directly participate in the important affairs of the court. After a few years, you will be sent to be a prefect, and when you return, you can be directly promoted to the position of Shangshu."

"Besides, I'm not asking you to refuse the imperial edict. If father intervenes, the Queen Mother will surely change her mind."

Lu Qin explained.

Zhang Hua's expression remained unwavering. He said seriously, "Your Majesty values me and has sent someone to recruit me. How could I refuse just because of the size of the official position? Besides, official positions are not important; they all serve the interests of the nation. How can one distinguish between a Shangshu Lang and a Huangmen Lang?"

"Thank you, Lord Lu, for your kindness. However, since I have already accepted the imperial edict, my thoughts will not change."

Lu Qin looked at Zhang Hua in front of him and sighed.

He knew the character of the person in front of him. Since he had made up his mind, he would definitely not change it.

Lu Qin felt a little disappointed and said with emotion: "You are so talented, I wonder when you will be able to realize your ambitions."

Zhang Hua did not respond. The two chatted for a while, and then Lu Qin started talking about the affairs of the temple.

"The general is seriously ill, and there's no one to manage the affairs of the Secretariat. Father wants the court to choose a wise man to serve as the Minister of the Secretariat."

This statement is already very explicit. To put it simply, Lu Yu wants to be the Minister of the Chancellery.

This Shangshu Ling is Sima Shi's foundation. In a sense, it is more important than his position as general.

Lu Yu is different from Gao Rou. Gao Rou is thinking about how to arrange his people into various departments, while Lu Yu thinks that those are all empty talk and not worth caring about. What is really important is to control the Secretariat and gain the right to govern the world.

With the Shangshutai in hand, why would he care about a mere Si Tu like you?

Zhang Hua listened to his words, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Lord Lu, the general is not weak and can be bullied. We must not act rashly."

Lu Qin waved his hand and said, "Don't worry! The general is seriously ill. I heard that he hasn't woken up yet!"

(End of this chapter)