The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 213 Recycling
"General Xuande? Why is it so?!"

"Get up! Get up now!"

Cao Mao said this hurriedly and was about to help.

The two people kneeling at the entrance of the hall were naturally Guo Li and Guo Zhi.

They knelt in front of the temple gate with uneasy expressions. Guo Li's hair had turned gray and he had lost weight. Guo Zhi was not much better, with a messy beard and dull eyes.

Looking at their current appearance, how can they still look like the guests of Sima Shi who could freely comment on state affairs, scold the Queen Mother, and act so arrogantly?

When he saw the emperor, Guo Li's eyes turned red and he actually shed tears.

"His Majesty!!"

"Please save my Guo family!!"

Cao Mao was horrified. "What happened? Did something serious happen at home?"

Guo Li just cried and said nothing. Guo Zhi murmured, "Within three days, four people in our clan were dismissed and arrested, including my brother."

As a big family, there are certainly not just a few of them. In addition to these core members, the family also has some relatives and friends, such as side branches, married-in wives, students and former officials, etc. These constitute a huge family. In addition to these big figures sitting in the temple, there are usually some children of the family who serve as county magistrates or county lieutenants, which are considered low-level officials.

From what Guo Zhi said, it seemed that their family was beginning to be attacked. The officials originally arranged were dismissed and arrested, and General Xuan De was no longer General Xuan De.

Cao Mao was a little surprised. It didn't make sense.

At this time, everyone is busy with their own things. Who would be so bored as to attack them? Do such a thankless task?
"It's the Sima family. These bastards! Even Sima Shi didn't dare to be rude to us back then. We helped them so much and we owed them a debt of gratitude. But now, just some of their followers dare to ride on our heads."

Guo Zhi's eyes were full of despair.

Cao Mao immediately understood that it seemed that they were just involved in the secret struggle between the Sima family and the ministers.

In fact, after the court meeting, the two sides began to fight secretly, trying to find evidence of each other's crimes, then pull the other party's officials out of office and replace them with their own people. Everyone did the same thing, and the empress dowager's edicts and the general's edicts kept attacking each other.

In the eyes of Sima family's followers, Empress Dowager Guo was the mastermind behind all this, and her family naturally had to be given special attention.

However, the aristocratic families hated the Guo family and not only were they unwilling to step forward, they also joined the Sima family in stepping on them.

Cao Mao shook his head again.

He looked at Guo Zhi and asked, "How kind were Emperor Wen and Emperor Liezu to their family? Emperor Liezu even let them serve as ministers of state and entrusted his own children to them."

"How does your kindness to the Sima family compare to theirs?"

Guo Zhi was suddenly speechless.

Cao Mao glanced at Zhaoyang Palace and said, "Forget it, you guys go back first. I will take care of this matter."

Guo Li looked at Cao Mao in disbelief, he didn't quite dare to believe it.

But when Cao Mao looked at him, he didn't dare to ask any more questions and quickly stood up, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Only then did Cao Mao walk into the Zhaoyang Palace.

Queen Mother Guo looked very angry. She was sitting on the throne at the moment. When she saw Cao Mao coming, she immediately began to complain.

"These people abandoned me and went to the Sima family. Now that the Sima family doesn't want them anymore, they come to me again, hoping that I can protect them. How shameless are they?!"

Cao Mao listened quietly to the Queen Mother's abuse.

When the Queen Mother had almost finished scolding him, Cao Mao finally spoke up, "Mother, despite this, they are all your elders. If anything happens in this palace, it will be bad for you. I have asked them to leave."

Empress Dowager Guo was very displeased. "I have been very kind by not pursuing their faults. What else do they want?"

Cao Mao then persuaded her, "Mother, they have committed serious offenses, but if you force them to death, it will be extremely detrimental to you. I believe that their crimes can be pardoned."

The Queen Mother shook her head, very firmly, "I will never pardon you."

Cao Mao smiled and said, "Mother, instead of letting them die on their knees outside the door, why not let them die for something worthwhile?"

"Oh?"

"What good can people like them do?"

Cao Mao said seriously, "Mother, you see, the Minister of the Interior and the important officials of the Secretariat all want to gain your favor. If you pardon the mistakes of General Xuande and others now, they will be extremely panicked. They will all be afraid and worry about losing your favor."

"If the ministers do something that displeases you, you can pretend to be friendly with them and then make them do what you want!"

Sure enough, when Empress Dowager Guo heard about this kind of competition for favor, especially the competition for favor from herself, she became excited.

All she wants is to be respected and valued.

Cao Mao added, "Besides, these people were rude to you before, but the world is different now. If you summon them now, their attitude will surely be different, and it will also allow Mother to vent her anger!"

Empress Dowager Guo glared at him. "Absurd! How can state affairs be handled like this?"

Although she complained, her expression had softened.

Cao Mao didn't care about the life or death of these people. No matter how many people in Guo Li's family died, it had nothing to do with Cao Mao. In the entire Guo family, Cao Mao only cared about Guo Ze.

However, Cao Mao has always been a very frugal person and is unwilling to waste anything. Even garbage can be recycled, right?

The current Guo family has lost their support and is in opposition to Gao Rou, Lu Yu, Sima Shi and others. They are not accepted. If the Queen Mother keeps them, they can only work for the Queen Mother with all their strength. Well, it will be like this in the short term, and it is hard to say whether they will jump out again in the future.

But they probably won't have a future.

After all, garbage should be buried in the ground after recycling, which is more environmentally friendly. This sense of crisis will turn them into mad dogs. They dare to scold the ministers in the same way as they scolded the Queen Mother.

If used properly, it can also become a sharp knife.

After this matter was agreed upon, Cao Mao asked about Xiahou Xian, Qin Lang and others.

They had a very good relationship with Cao Rui, and the Queen Mother should know them.

Empress Dowager Guo frowned and said helplessly, "Xiahou Xian is still alive and wrote to me last year, but Qin Lang has passed away. Guo Zhi once told me about this."

Cao Mao sighed deeply.

What a pity for such a talented person.

However, Xiahou Xian is still alive, so it seems that he can be used?
Xiahou Xian was the grandson of Xiahou Dun and had served as the general in charge of the army, which was equivalent to the commander-in-chief of the central army.

He also followed Xiahou Xuan to attack the Kingdom of Shu.

Cao Mao made a decision immediately.

"Mother, can you please order this man to come to Luoyang?"

"What did you call him for?"

"Zongzheng, mother, do you still remember what I told you back then?"

Empress Dowager Guo nodded. Originally, Cao Mao had persuaded the empress dowager to issue an imperial edict to summon some local princes. Empress Dowager Guo's edict had been issued long ago, but because of the far distance, those people had not arrived yet.

Empress Dowager Guo still looked a little worried.

"I'm afraid that my decree alone cannot make them come."

"Mother, don't worry! We still have Gao Situ to help us!"

At this moment, inside Gao Mansion, Gao Rou had a stern face and looked at the ministers in front of him coldly. The anger in his heart almost overwhelmed him.

All the ministers in the temple were standing in front of him at this moment, staring at him.

Gao Rou sneered, "Everyone, if there's a problem with the Shangshutai, why would you come to me instead of Lu Yu?"

"Lord Situ, you are the head of the court. The current government affairs are not going smoothly. This is going to cause serious problems. I ask you to step forward and take charge of these matters."

Xun Yi spoke first.

The other ministers echoed him.

Gao Rou raised his head, not at all afraid of their pressure. "I've only heard that the Shangshu Ling and other Shangshu manage the Shangshutai, but I've never heard that the Minister of the Interior is in charge. What law are you using to ask me to do this?"

If it were any other time, Gao Rou would never miss the opportunity to move into the Shangshu Tai.

But nowadays, the situation is different.

All the bombs that Lu Yuzang had hidden were completely exposed. Who would dare to take over the Secretariat at this time?
This is asking for death!

Does Xun Xi not want to bring bad luck upon himself and wants to drag himself down with him?

Gao Rou was not worried at all. I don’t want to go. Can you force me to go with a knife?
Immediately, a minister said, "Lord Situ! What do you mean by this? The court is in chaos, and as the head of the ministers, are you completely indifferent to these matters? The ministers' assessments, promotions, and even salaries haven't been completed. Even the food supply for the border troops hasn't been delivered. Jiang Wei is restless. If something terrible happens as a result of this, won't the Great Wei be destroyed?"

"Under such circumstances, instead of showing up, you asked us why we came to you?"

Xun Yi sneered, "Lord Situ, the court justice arrested several people who were spreading rumors. They said they were fabricating rumors to discredit Lord Lu under your orders!"

"It was because of this incident that Lord Lu refused to come forward again, causing the world to be in such danger."

"Don't you want to resolve the mistakes you made?"

At this moment, Gao Rou could no longer bear it.

"How dare you slander me here?!"

"When have I ever sent anyone to do such a despicable thing?"

"This was clearly Lu Yu's own doing. As a high-ranking official, he actually used the interests of the empire and the lives of the people to threaten the other officials into making concessions. Is a villain like him worthy of your following?!"

"If the world really perishes, it will all be Lu Yu's fault!"

"He himself abandoned the Secretariat, hid in the palace, and ignored government affairs. How can this be blamed on me?!"

"At my age, do I really have to go to the Shangshutai in person and risk my life to fill the vacancy left by Lu Yu?"

Gao Rou became more and more excited as he spoke. He suddenly covered his chest with his hands, his face pale and he was about to collapse.

The ministers who were noisy just now suddenly became quiet, and a trace of panic flashed in Xun Yi's eyes.

"We are also here for the great cause of the world. Let's go and find Lu Yu!"

The ministers did not dare to stay and left one after another. Gao Rou trembled all over and watched these people leave.

After the ministers left, Gao Rou calmed down instantly and his expression returned to normal.

"Heh, idiot."

(End of this chapter)