The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 237 No Forgiveness
Zhong Hui felt particularly happy when he saw the emperor's admiring eyes.

In recent days, Ji Kang and the emperor's attitudes towards him have changed greatly. Oh, by the way, there is also Zhang Hua.

Ji Kang had always been indifferent to Zhong Hui and was very arrogant, but after what happened in the past few days, Ji Kang actually took the initiative to invite him out for a drink.

When he asked Zhong Hui if there was anything he could do to help him.

Zhong Hui expressed his demands.

He hoped Ji Kang could play Guangling San for him.

Ji Kang did not hesitate and immediately took the zither to play for Zhong Hui.

Zhong Hui enjoyed listening to this very much, which made him happier than being one of the Three Dukes.

As for His Majesty the Emperor, it has been the same these days. The way he looks at me has become more and more affectionate, and sometimes he holds my hand and is reluctant to let go.

He wrote a lot of poems and essays every day to praise himself and gave himself many titles.

Cao Mao felt that Zhong Hui was actually somewhat similar to Empress Dowager Guo. He cared a lot about the feeling of being valued. Of course, he couldn't say this out loud.

But Zhong Hui did give him a great surprise.

At this moment, Zhong Hui talked about his next plan.

"Your Majesty, the ministers have now forgotten my identity as the Chief Clan Leader. They are all watching my words and actions, trying to frame me and find evidence of my crimes."

"It just so happens that I have already sent someone to inform He Zeng that soon the royal family will leave Hebei for their own fiefdom."

"The ministers are keeping an eye on me now, so they won't find out what's happening outside in time."

Cao Mao nodded like a chick pecking at rice, yes, yes, yes.

Zhong Hui smiled and said, "Once they discover the problems with the royal family, they will launch a mad counterattack and try to send these people back."

"Then what shall we do?"

"By now, the Shu army should be here. They've probably already sent out their troops."

"When they are struggling with the royal family issue, they will suddenly realize that Yongliang has run into a major problem. They will no longer dare to bother with the royal family issue and will focus on dealing with Shu."

Cao Mao suddenly realized, "Is that so? Then is this matter beneficial to us?"

"Hahaha, it's beneficial, of course it's beneficial."

"Your Majesty, I believe that Chen Tai and Sima Wang are no match for Jiang Wei. To stop Jiang Wei, we need a commander whose military talent rivals his. Let this person lead the Northwest Army."

"Your Majesty, this is what we should prepare for in advance."

Zhong Hui narrowed his eyes. "Your Majesty, do you know who can resist Jiang Wei?"

"Mr. Zhong can definitely do it! If you go, you will be able to defeat Jiang Wei and destroy the Kingdom of Shu sooner or later!"

When Zhong Hui heard what Cao Mao said, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right, but I cannot leave Luoyang right now. I believe the only person who can still resist Jiang Wei is Deng Ai, the governor of Yanzhou."

"Oh? Deng Ai? I know this guy. I heard he was a disciple of Duke Xuanwen. He's a cautious man, skilled in military affairs, and impartial in enforcing the law. After taking office in Yanzhou, he often punished those from wealthy families and promoted those from humble backgrounds. He's a man of both civil and military talents."

"Yes, that's the person."

"Speaking of which, even if General Wei went there himself, he might not be able to stop Jiang Wei. Besides, General Wei has to look after the affairs in Luoyang and cannot go there himself. If he went there, perhaps Sima Fu could be the commander-in-chief, but now that they have split up, Sima Fu is not the most suitable candidate."

"Therefore, the most suitable candidate is Deng Ai."

Zhong Hui narrowed his eyes. "Your Majesty, although this man comes from a prominent family, he experienced disaster in his youth. He is a pragmatic person and dislikes those who talk nonsense. His policies in Yanzhou also show that he is not of the same mind as the aristocratic families."

"If Your Majesty can win over this man, let him serve as the General of Zhenxi."

"The most elite army of the Great Wei is now in your Majesty's hands."

"With Deng Ai and Guanqiu Jian, Your Majesty need not fear anyone in the world!"

Cao Mao's eyes widened. He thought he had thought far enough ahead. How could Zhong Hui's ideas be even further ahead than what he had imagined?

Zhong Hui said seriously, "This man is greedy for merit and knows how to govern, but he has no idea about government. If Your Majesty wants to use him, you must be careful."

"Okay, I understand. How can we win over this person?"

"Hahaha, this guy has a very honest nature. It's easier to win him over than to win over Yang Hu."

Cao Mao naturally obeyed Zhong Jun's words in everything.

Zhong Hui left in a hurry again.

Because he still has a lot of things to do.

After sending this person away, Zhang Hua finally couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, I used to be a little dissatisfied with this person, thinking that I was not inferior to him. Now it seems that I am far inferior to him."

"Don't underestimate Maoxian. Maoxian is just young. When he gets older, he won't necessarily be weaker than Zhong Shiji."

"So what do we do now?"

"Now?"

Cao Mao thought about it and it seemed that Zhong Hui had done everything in the plan alone.

"Now just focus on preparing for the East Hall Banquet."

"only!"

Cao Mao walked out of the West Hall and Cheng Ji hurriedly followed him.

Cheng Ji has been quite happy recently. His brother has been promoted to a captain and is now following Sima Zhao to quell the rebellion.

Their family has reached a new level again.

Recently, many young men from prominent families have been coming to Cheng Ji to ask him about the goings-on in the palace. "Have many people been looking for you lately?"

"More and more, haha. People who normally wouldn't even look at me when we met are now coming to me with gifts, constantly showing goodwill, and asking about the situation in the palace."

Cheng Ji replied with a smile.

"No wonder you've been so happy these days, it seems you've gained a lot!"

Cheng Ji quickly said, "Isn't this all ordered by His Majesty?"

"I know why these people came to me. I accepted all the gifts they gave me, but when they asked about matters in the palace, I answered them according to your majesty's instructions!"

Cao Mao laughed and said, "Yes, of course we have to accept their gifts."

"Just do it with confidence. I definitely believe in you."

"These people have suddenly become so enthusiastic because I have kept you by my side and treated you as my confidant. They all want to get some information from you and understand my plans."

Cheng Ji continued, "Your Majesty, recently it's not just the ministers who have come to see me, but also some famous scholars. They all ask me about my studies at the Imperial Academy."

Cao Mao waved his hand and said, "They are all the same. There is no difference between them. Just answer according to what I teach you."

"only!!"

"You'd better seize this opportunity. In half a year, you will go to Yongliang to establish your career. You can't accept gifts like this anymore!"

Cheng Ji was overjoyed and quickly agreed again.

Cao Mao walked out of the West Hall and then out of the Taiji Hall. Gao Dan did not dare to stop him.

Finally, Yang Hu was stopped in the palace.

Yang Hu was still on personal inspection at the moment. When he saw His Majesty coming, he hurriedly bowed to greet him.

"Uncle, why are you so troubled? Can't you just leave this kind of thing to the soldiers?"

"How dare you neglect your duty in protecting the Imperial Palace?"

Cao Mao looked at Zhang Hua, and Zhang Hua led his men to stand around, not allowing anyone to approach.

Cao Mao then whispered to Yang Hu, "Uncle, I heard that the Secretariat has begun discussions to remove you from office and replace you with Commander-in-Chief Yang Xiao as Protector General."

"Yang Xiao?"

Cao Mao sneered and said, "He is Yang Xiu's son from the Hongnong Yang family."

"This man is not well-known. The ministers have other ideas about using him at this moment."

Yang Hu frowned, "If the Shangshutai issues an order..."

“You don’t have to comply.”

"Anyway, their intention to deal with me has already been revealed, and I am not afraid of going against them. The imperial guards in the palace must be under our control. How can we let them out?"

"If anyone reads the imperial edict, you can arrest him and bring him to me. I will issue an edict in person and tell him to go back."

"You must be more careful from now on and avoid being assassinated. If these people cannot remove you, they might attack you from behind. Be wary of them using assassination tactics."

Cao Mao spoke seriously. Yang Hu had probably thought about these things a long time ago. His expression remained the same and he just nodded.

"However, you don't have to be afraid. With my father-in-law's relationship, they won't dare to act rashly."

"Situ Gaorou, you are so presumptuous as to claim to be a minister of three dynasties! How dare you deceive the emperor and commit crimes?!"

"You are the chief minister, how dare you be disloyal?!"

More than thirty people gathered in front of Gao Rou's mansion, cursing loudly.

These people were not too old, probably about the same age as Zhang Hua, but they were very excited at the moment. They confronted the soldiers in front of Gao Rou's gate and started cursing angrily.

Gao Rou sat in the mansion, listening to the insults coming from outside, his face becoming increasingly darker.

"Evil words to confuse the people! Evil words to confuse the people!"

The housekeeper couldn't help it.

"Lord Situ, arrest them all and hand them over to the Chief Justice for punishment!"

"You are a dignified Situ, how can you be insulted by these villains?!"

Gao Rou glared at him. "Do you think I'm the Sima Shi? Just because the scholars said a few words, you want to arrest and execute them all?"

"The fact that scholars dare to gather in front of my residence and curse me shows that the current era of benevolent governance is different from the time of Sima Shi."

"I'm most happy that they dare to insult me like this. Why would I arrest them?"

Gao Rou's words sounded nice, but looking at his face, he didn't look happy at all.

Soon, many carriages appeared outside. Some people jumped off the carriages and started cursing at the scholars. These were their family elders, and the scholars immediately dispersed.

Gao Rou's eyes became even colder.

I never thought that one day I would fall to this point and be insulted and ridiculed by scholars.

The two brothers of the Lu family could not cause such a big commotion.

Those articles could not have been written by them alone; there must have been more people involved behind the scenes.

People like Ruan Ji, Ji Kang, Shan Tao, and Zhong Hui!!!

I will never forgive you!!

no way! !
(End of this chapter)