The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 370 If the Saint King of Luoyang were here

Late at night, the whole Luoyang was quiet.

A group of people were walking slowly in Luoyang, leaning against the wall. They all had their faces covered and their eyes were determined.

They were quietly approaching the mansion in the distance.

Under the moonlight, they walked with agility and skillfully avoided the patrolling soldiers.

Soon, they arrived at their destination. They looked around, then easily climbed up the wall of the mansion by standing on tiptoe. Then they pulled up their companions and jumped into the mansion by holding the wall.

Although the big families of Cao Wei did not have their own private armies, they all liked to raise scholars in secret.

Of course, it is a little bit difficult for someone like Sima Shi to raise three thousand death warriors under layers of surveillance.

However, it is not difficult for a large clan to maintain dozens of death warriors.

If their servants are included, it would be no problem to mobilize several thousand people. Of course, they cannot be called death squads.

As soon as these assassins jumped into the courtyard, they alerted the dogs in the house. Almost in an instant, the dogs started barking non-stop.

These intruders quickly sped up and rushed towards the inner room where their target was. They seemed to be very familiar with the mansion and quickly rushed to the door of the inner room.

The moment they opened the door, a powerful crossbow suddenly shot out.

The assassins were almost pierced through and fell to the ground one after another.

Even in such a situation, no one chose to retreat. They jumped over the bodies of their companions and walked into the house to check the situation. Several soldiers with grim expressions were squatting in the house.

At this moment, these people suddenly realized that their mission had failed.

They roared loudly.

Hearing this sound, the captain lying in ambush shouted, "Go outside! They are sending a message to their comrades!"

For a moment, the entire mansion became bustling with activity. Countless torches lit up from all around, illuminating the entire mansion like daylight.

The assassins completely ignored this and launched a suicidal charge towards the surrounding soldiers.

The captain shouted, "Subdue them! Subdue them! Don't kill them all!"

The armored soldiers and the death squad were fighting together. The captain led the charge and chopped down three death squads in a row. There were only more than ten death squads, and they were no match for so many armored soldiers. They were quickly killed. There were only a few left, and they were also seeking death at this moment.

The captain standing in front of the torch was Cheng Ji, who was beside Cao Mao.

Cheng Ji looked at the people in front of him and suddenly sneered.

"How dare you look down on us like this?"

He stepped forward and kicked one of the assassins unconscious, then ordered the soldiers to tie up the thieves.

When Cao Mao discovered that Xun Yi and others wanted to rescue Wang Xiang, he arranged for Cheng Ji to guard Wang Xiang. He originally just wanted to test the waters, but unexpectedly, he actually got something out of it.

Cheng Ji was still very happy in his heart, as such an opportunity to gain military merit was not common.

After Cheng Ji arranged everything here, he ordered someone to bring Wang Xiang out, put him in a carriage, and then personally escorted him to the palace.

Wang Xiang's face looked very ugly at this moment.

He didn't know which idiot arranged this action. If he knew, he would spit in the other person's face.

Are you saving people or killing people?

Apologizing is already a dangerous matter. Given the emperor's character, he might even risk his own life to eliminate hidden dangers. Now he even sent death squads to rescue him.

It’s bad, I’m going to die this time.

Wang Xiang never had any expectations for his teammates. Teammates like Gao Rou were unreliable, let alone these idiots. The only reason they could survive until now and occupy high positions was because they posed no threat to Sima Shi.
Wang Xiang couldn't help cursing in his heart, and was also thinking about ways to save himself.

Wang Xiang didn't want to die like this.

It's not that he is afraid of death, Wang Xiang just thinks it is a bit shameful to die at the hands of his colleagues.

When Wang Xiang was brought to the palace, the soldiers were being frequently mobilized. Wang Xiang knew that someone was in trouble again.

At this moment, Wang Xiang just wanted to curse, what kind of idiots are you!

Do you really think the emperor will abide by your rules?
Is it safe to send a death squad to do the job?
These assassins are the most dangerous! If they don't confess, then the emperor will just assume whoever sent them is who they are. How many people will be harmed by this?

He was taken to the door of Taiji Hall but was unable to enter.

At this moment, in the West Hall, Cao Mao lit a candle and chatted with Zhong Hui beside him with a smile.

"Shi Ji, I think this exam doesn't need to be so difficult, and don't mention appearance anymore. Your assessment is too complicated. It doesn't mean that the more complicated the exam, the better the talent. According to your method of setting questions, I'm afraid that only a few can pass the exam."

"Your Majesty, how difficult is this?!"

Zhong Hui raised his head, very confident.

Cao Mao pursed his lips and had to change his words.

"Not all the wise men in this world are like Zhong Shiji. Your talent is unmatched by anyone in the world. If I were to recruit talents based on your level, wouldn't I be left with no one to use? Can the world still produce thousands of Zhong Shijis? If that's the case, why should I worry about this important matter?"

When the rhetoric changed, Zhong Hui's reaction also changed.

"Your Majesty is right. I was wrong. I will take it back and revise it."

Zhong Hui is now setting assessment questions for talents at all levels for Cao Mao. After the Zhongzheng system, people will actually have to undergo assessment before being granted official titles. However, this assessment is a fucking interview. Officials from the Taichang Palace will conduct face-to-face interviews, and then the titles will be granted. There will be no relevant written tests!
In other words, after passing the Zhongzheng exam, one could become an official as long as he had a symbolic meeting with the officials. Zhong Hui was now going to take a written exam, and Cao Mao also told Zhong Hui about his idea of an imperial examination system.

Zhong Hui felt that His Majesty's idea made sense. From the provincial examination, to the county examination, to the prefecture examination, and finally to the palace examination, the best talents in the world could be obtained, and then official titles would be granted according to different rankings.

Just as they continued to discuss this matter, Cheng Ji walked in in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, just as Lord Zhong said, someone really wanted to send someone to assassinate Wang Xiang, and we caught him."

"assassinate?"

Cao Mao smiled and then looked at Zhong Hui. Zhong Hui was indescribably proud at this moment and was waiting for Cao Mao to speak.

"How did Shiji know these people would take the risk to come to the palace?"

Zhong Hui quickly said, "They have been spreading the letter of apology and slandering Wang Situ these days just to save Wang Xiang."

"And yet His Majesty has always turned a blind eye to this. They have no other choice but to resort to this method to save people."

"I originally intended to let Wang Xiang go on purpose, so as to catch him red-handed."

"It's just that I didn't do it because I was afraid that if I killed so many ministers, there would be no ministers left in the court."

Cao Mao suddenly felt that it was not a bad thing that the officials were of low standard. Although they could not accomplish great things in governing the world, they also could not accomplish great things in causing destruction.

Their abilities to govern and stage coups are on par.

Cao Mao quickly praised him, "You are indeed worthy of being called Shi Ji!"

He praised him several more times, and Zhong Hui was in a good mood.

Cao Mao said, "Shi Ji, don't worry about these things anymore. Just focus on your important tasks and don't delay your great cause."

Cao Mao really had no intention of fighting with this group of ministers now. Since Wang Chang's arrival, many things in the temple suddenly got back on track, and everyone was busy with serious matters.

The review and screening of officials, the setting of assessments, and even the local officials' manual are all proceeding in an orderly manner.

The military affairs will be completed first, and the rest of the things will probably not take too long.

Cao Mao's temple was truly like a temple and began to handle real business. He really didn't have the energy to deal with these trivial matters.

But I couldn't resist these things that were pestering me like flies, forcing me to take action against them.

Cao Mao sent Zhong Hui away and asked Cheng Ji to bring Wang Xiang in.

"His Majesty!!"

Wang Xiang bowed deeply to Cao Mao.

"If it weren't for Your Majesty, I would have nearly died at the hands of these traitors! Thank you so much for saving my life!"

Wang Xiang shouted.

Cao Mao simply looked at him calmly. "Teacher, do you still firmly believe that the era you want to usher in will be better than the present?"

"My ministers come to govern the world, fighting for power and gain. What am I doing, and what are they doing?"

"They've married, protected each other, recommended each other, yet they don't care about the state, only their own interests. I originally wanted to keep you to see the new world."

When Wang Xiang heard Cao Mao say this, his expression suddenly calmed down.

Wang Xiang didn't want to die, but he wouldn't do anything to harm his own clan just to survive.

Among many ministers, he is considered to have his own integrity, and in this respect, other ministers cannot compare with him.

"In fact, compared to all the ministers today, Master is the best. You have never done evil, never engaged in corruption, and never promoted your cronies. In terms of personal morality, there are few ministers who can compare with you."

"It's a pity that your ambitions are different from mine."

"You've gone astray."

Wang Xiang did not explain himself. He asked, "Your Majesty, are you determined to kill me?"

Cao Mao did not answer this question, but asked again:
"Teacher, if I give you a chance, can you put aside your original path and assist me with all your strength, helping me to suppress the powerful families, kill the tyrants, and support the world?"

Wang Xiang suddenly laughed.

He looked at his favorite student calmly, then shook his head.

"Your Majesty, I have not done anything wrong. You are a wise and intelligent king, but will your descendants be like that?"

"But the ministers are different. Incompetent ministers will definitely be replaced. Only when truly talented people govern the country and the clans comfort the people at the local level can the world be stable, and the change of dynasties will not cause such a tragedy."

"Your Majesty, the Han Dynasty was once prosperous, but a few emperors and a few political persecutions led to such a disaster."

"Teacher, you are wrong. I have seen you talk about that road."

"The powerful families are in power, the imperial power is lost, the officials are incompetent, the generals do not know how to fight, the court is in constant strife, the local rebellions are endless, the powerful are arrogant and rampant, and the people are living a life worse than death."

"Finally, as dynasties changed, the only ones who escaped disaster were the great families. They safely crossed south, leaving the disaster to the innocent."

"They haven't learned any lessons and continue to act recklessly, escalating their behavior and causing disaster after disaster."

"Teacher, I dare not say that I want to establish a great cause that will last for thousands of years. All I want is to prevent all that you want from happening."

(End of this chapter)