The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 325 Knows everything

"Meet the Queen!!"

"Not yet, no need to be so polite. I heard you are from Yuancheng?"

Zheng Sheng looked at the woman in front of him in horror, trembling with fear.

Common people at the lower levels did not dare to have too much contact with the children of wealthy families, not to mention that he was brought to the imperial palace!

Zheng Sheng used to be a chef in Yuancheng, and later he opened his own restaurant in Luoyang. These days, his life is pretty good and enjoyable.

But today, several ferocious-looking soldiers rushed into his restaurant and asked him if he could cook Yuancheng's food.

Zheng Sheng had just spoken for a while when he was loaded into a carriage by these people and sped away.

When Zheng Sheng opened his eyes again, he found himself in the palace.

Zheng Sheng's legs were weak and he couldn't speak clearly.

Zheng Xian hurriedly said, "Don't be afraid. It's like this. I've heard that Yuancheng's food is delicious since I was a child, and I want to learn how to cook for my family. They say your restaurant is the best in Luoyang, so I sent someone to invite you here so that you can teach me."

"If you can teach me, I can give you a reward. If you can't, that's fine. I won't blame you."

Zheng Sheng's mind was still unclear, and he said hurriedly, "Thank you, Queen!"

However, he was relieved at this moment because it turned out that he was just learning how to cook.

He didn't think about the reward. As long as the noble man couldn't learn his lesson, he wouldn't punish him.

Zheng Xian didn't waste any more time and took him into the royal kitchen.

At this moment, the eunuchs in the kitchen were in a panic. Tang Guanling looked at Zheng Xian in astonishment, running around in a panic.

"Please don't embarrass us. Your Majesty's meals are provided by us, not by..."

"It's just cooking, what's the big deal?"

"I'm not asking outsiders to prepare food and send it to His Majesty. I'm just borrowing your place to practice. You can watch and help out."

Zheng Xian's words were actually telling Tang Guanling that he could just watch from the side.

The food was provided by Tang Guanling, and Zheng Sheng personally took action to teach Zheng Xian many Yuancheng dishes.

Perhaps because Zheng Xian didn't have any aristocratic airs, or perhaps because they had the same surname, Zheng Sheng soon relaxed.

"Speaking of which, most of the dishes in our Yuan City were originally taught by His Majesty."

Zheng Xian's eyes widened. "Him? Your Majesty can cook?"

"Your Majesty didn't make it, Your Majesty gave me the recipe."

Tang Guanling on the side snorted coldly. He did not believe this nonsense. Ever since His Majesty ascended the throne, the people of Yuancheng have tried to use His Majesty's name in everything they do, treating His Majesty as a tool to make money.

That is to say, His Majesty is merciful and will not bother with villains like you.

Zheng Xian believed it.

"Why does he know everything?"

Taiji Hall, West Hall.

Cao Mao narrowed his eyes and looked at Du Yu in front of him.

"Mr. Du, the current Shangshutai is overwhelmed with tedious matters, and the division of labor among the many Shangshus is unclear."

"I want to change it."

Ever since Sima Zhao was captured and brought under Cao Mao's command, Du Yu never went to see Sima Zhao once. In his own words, he really did not have the face to see General Wei.

After all, he bears a great responsibility for General Wei's current failure.

It was he who drove Sima Zhao out of Luoyang and missed the opportunity. Later, it was he who determined that the ministers had won and asked Sima Zhao to deploy troops to deal with the ministers.

Not being able to figure out who the enemy was was the key reason for Sima Zhao's failure.

If Sima Zhao knew that the person he was dealing with was the emperor, he would not rush to Luoyang, nor would he easily trust Cheng Ji and others. After all, Cheng Ji's behavior became a little strange after Sima Shi's downfall.

Even Yin Damu was one of them. After all, he had been in contact with the emperor and had been stationed in the palace in the past.

He would not take action against He Zeng and Chen Ben. In short, many of Sima Zhao's daring actions were caused by failed predictions.

This made Du Yu completely embarrassed to meet Sima Zhao.

Even at this moment, he could not get over the self-blame. After all, Sima Zhao was really good to him, and he himself was indeed a loyal minister.

Cao Mao didn't care about these things and expressed his own thoughts.

"During the Han Dynasty, the power of the ministers led to the creation of the Secretariat. Originally, the Secretariat consisted of minor officials who served the emperors of the pre-Han period. After Emperor Xiaowu of Han, the Secretariat began to divide the power of the ministers and to restrict them for the sake of the emperor."

"As for Emperor Guangwu, the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers gradually lost their power, and all major matters came under the control of the Shangshu."

The Secretariat was originally used by the emperor to restrict his ministers, but was later used by Liu Xiu to weaken the power of the prime minister and deal with ministers.

But by now, the Secretariat has risen, and the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers have lost their power, but not completely. Many overlapping positions have appeared in the Wei and Jin courts, and for the ministers, the more official positions the better.

However, such a bloated administrative system was not what Cao Mao wanted to see.

In Cao Mao's view, the system of three dukes and nine ministers no longer needed to be continued, or in other words, its functions could be completely handed over to the Secretariat. They should no longer be semi-honorary titles, but directly be honorary titles, and old ministers and meritorious officials could be given titles, and the real work could be handed over directly to the Secretariat.

As the ruler of the empire, as long as he can control the three platforms and sit firmly in the Taiji Hall, the affairs of the world will run in an orderly manner and will not be as cumbersome and complicated as they are now.

In order to achieve this, the functions of the Secretariat must be more comprehensive and completely replace the Nine Ministers.

This is not difficult because the future trend was like this. After the transition from Wei to Jin Dynasty, the system of three provinces and six ministries completely replaced the system of three dukes and nine ministers.

"The duties of the Nine Ministers can all be replaced by the Minister of State. Currently, there are the Minister of Personnel, the Minister of the Palace, the Minister of the Five Armies, the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of the Left." "In my opinion, these six ministries are nothing more than the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Households, and the Ministry of Works."

Du Yu's mood at this moment was extremely complicated. He didn't know why His Majesty always wanted to discuss such important matters with him.

His painting style is totally inconsistent with Your Majesty's.

Du Yu was still immersed in the pain of General Wei's failure because of him. He was in a conflicted mood and depressed.

The emperor's tone changed here, and he only talked about the most important affairs of the court.

Everyone has their own opinion.

It seemed that the emperor didn't care about Du Yu's inner struggle at all.

Du Yu, who was originally feeling extremely guilty, was involuntarily moved by the emperor's words and could not help but think about the important matter he mentioned.

When the emperor finished speaking, Du Yu could not help but ask, "Your Majesty, I am a guilty man. Why do you insist on discussing these important matters with me?"

"Because you are a virtuous person who can help me accomplish these great things."

"Yuan Kai, what are your worries in front of the people of the world? Don't dwell on them anymore. Just think about how to reform the Shangshutai in the future. The selection of the six ministers must also be carefully arranged."

Du Yu was speechless immediately.

Cao Mao sighed helplessly.

"Well, if I don't let you explain it clearly, I'm afraid you don't have the mind to think about the world affairs. Mr. Mao, take Du Jun out for a walk."

Zhang Hua hurriedly accepted the order and took Du Yu away.

After leaving the Taiji Hall, Zhang Hua remained calm and said, "Please do not think that His Majesty is humiliating you or looking down on you."

"You may not know yet, but there's a memorial from Hebei: Two counties are plagued by locusts, destroying all vegetation, including the hair and mane of cattle and horses."

"Alas, the Shangshutai has not yet taken any measures to deal with the situation. Hebei has just experienced war, and the officials' response is even more appalling."

"Your Majesty was furious, but he did not lose his temper."

"After years of disasters, I wonder how many people in Hebei have been displaced this time."

"In recent years, natural disasters have continued to occur more and more frequently. Your Majesty is kind and righteous. Seeing this memorial, he became even more anxious."

Zhang Hua said seriously.

Du Yu was horrified. "Locusts?"

"That is exactly what happened. Besides this, there were also strong winds in Bingzhou. The memorial says: 'Roofs were blown off, trees were broken, and the sky was covered with thick dust.'"

"Ministers are good at vying for power, but when asked to do practical work, they just pass the buck. No one is responsible. Government orders are not being implemented, and local officials are negligent. They are a bunch of drunkards. There is even a county magistrate in Hebei who leads a lewd ritual, offering sacrifices to locusts. Your Majesty just offered sacrifices to Emperor Liezu, and he is offering sacrifices to locusts. He deserves death!!!"

Zhang Hua had a stern face; he thought this matter was very serious.

Du Yu suddenly understood something, and Zhang Hua told him a lot of things.

Du Yu also looked a little worried at this moment.

The two talked for a long time before Zhang Hua pulled Du Yu into the car and headed towards General Wei's mansion.

Du Yu's expression was still somewhat confused. When he walked into the inner room and saw Sima Zhao, he hurriedly covered his face with his sleeves.

"General!!"

Sima Zhao was stunned. He looked at Du Yu in front of him with a complicated look in his eyes.

"Hey, get up."

Sima Zhao helped him up and said with a smile, "Knowing that you are okay, I feel much better."

"General, this is all my fault."

Du Yu was about to speak when Sima Zhao said sternly, "Yuan Kai! How can you say that?"

"I made a serious mistake in the past and was disrespectful to Your Majesty, but Your Majesty did not punish me and even gave me a reward. I am very grateful."

"Yuan Kai, I can't let my father and brother down."

Sima Zhao said seriously, "You too, must assist His Majesty wholeheartedly. In the future, you can come visit me more often."

"Jiang Wei invaded Yongliang, and I have a lot to do here."

Sima Zhao started talking to Du Yu, and Du Yu felt confused.

Is the transformation so radical?
Sima Zhao did not give Du Yu a chance to speak and kept comforting him.

"Yuan Kai, go ahead and do your work without any worries."

Sima Zhao patted Du Yu on the shoulder and said sincerely.

Du Yu saluted him again and said, "General, I will come to visit you again in the future."

Du Yu turned and left.

After he left, Sima Zhao's face froze and he looked towards the side door of the inner gate.

The side door was slowly pushed open, and a figure walked out slowly, raised his head and looked at Sima Zhao.

That person was Cao Mao.

Cao Mao chuckled, "General Wei, please get ready. You can reunite with your family today."

(End of this chapter)