The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 616: Direct Minister
Luoyang, Anle Palace.

Liu Chan sat in the upper seat as usual, smiling as he watched the beauties dancing in front of him.

Cao Mao did not kill Liu Chan's family. He arranged his former concubines and others to be by his side, and also placed his sons in various places in Luoyang. They could get together from time to time and have a family banquet.

Liu Chan's life was not affected in any way.

He was even happier than before. After all, no one bothered him with state affairs anymore, and there was nothing to worry about. He could just enjoy himself and play all day long.

Huang Hao is still with Liu Chan at this moment. He is also doing his job conscientiously and helping Liu Chan come up with all kinds of fun things.

Liu Chan had no intention of blaming him at all.

He no longer has any ministers accompanying him. Originally, Xi Zheng and Zhang Tong were by his side and were willing to continue to follow him.

But his performance disappointed the two of them.

The first one was Xi Zheng. Because Cao Mao and Liu Chan formed a very strong contrast, this minister finally bowed to Cao Mao and now became the prefect under Cao Mao.

Later, it was Zhang Tong. He repeatedly persuaded Liu Chan, hoping that Liu Chan would kill Huang Hao and avenge Jiang Wei and others. At the same time, he had the idea of returning to Shu.

But Liu Chan liked his current life very much, and Zhang Tong had no choice but to give up in the end.

He did not accept the emperor's enthronement, left Luoyang, and prepared to return to Shu to live in seclusion.

As for other ministers in Shu, they never dared to have anything to do with Liu Chan again. Not to mention paying him a visit, they didn't even dare to pass by Liu Chan's house.

Liu Chan didn't care about these things.

Just as he continued to drink and have fun, a servant suddenly came to tell him that a minister was here to pay him a visit.

Liu Chan quickly put down the wine cup in his hand and led everyone out of the door.

When the newcomer appeared, Liu Chan finally breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his back, and said with a smile, "I thought it was an important official sent by His Majesty!"

The person who came was Qiao Zhou.

Historically, after Cao Wei destroyed Shu Han, the rebellion of Deng Ai and Zhong Hui resulted in heavy casualties among Shu officials. Those who were not killed or injured were forced to set out on the road and rushed to Luoyang. As a result, most of the old officials died on the way.

Few of the old ministers of Shu Kingdom were able to reach Luoyang alive.

But this time, there was no major chaos in Chengdu, and Cao Mao did not urge them to come as soon as possible. Several old ministers could not walk anymore, so he let them rest where they were.

Therefore, many old ministers were able to save their lives.

Qiao Zhou was one of them. When he was on the road, he was exhausted, seriously ill and almost died. Now, after recuperating in Luoyang for so long, his body has gradually begun to recover.

But Qiao Zhou was not very happy.

After he insisted on surrendering, many things developed as smoothly as he had expected. The handover was peaceful, the ministers did not suffer too many casualties, and the emperor was saved. Everything was good in every aspect.

But the only problem is that Qiao Zhou himself was not promoted!

The ministers in Shu were rewarded and promoted one after another. Dong Jue was engaged in the important work of governing the world in the Secretariat and became Chen Tai's deputy. The former General of the Northern Expedition, Zhang Yi, also surrendered to the emperor and was granted the title of General of the Southern Expedition and the title of Palace Attendant.

Jiang Wan's two sons, one entered the Secretariat and the other entered the Censorate.

Almost every important official received great rewards, and the rest were appointed as prefects in various places. There were even many young people. The emperor asked Luo Xian about the talents in Shu and asked him to recommend some young people. Luo Xian immediately recommended more than ten people including Chang Ji, Du Zhen, Shou Liang, Chen Shou, Gao Gui, Lu Ya, Xu Guo, Fei Gong, Zhuge Jing, and Chen Yu. The emperor recruited them all at once!

Not to mention that the imperial court also carried out special assessments in Shu and promoted a large number of officials.

Even his own disciples were given important positions.

But Qiao Zhou himself did not receive any promotion.

Qiao Zhou was very puzzled by this. Logically speaking, as the number one hero in the surrender of Shu Kingdom, he should not be neglected, right?
Even if the emperor doesn't like me, the Wu Kingdom hasn't surrendered yet. Shouldn't this be taken more seriously?
It couldn't be said that Qiao Zhou was unconvinced, he was just a little suspicious and puzzled.

Liu Chan was very happy. In these days, no minister dared to visit him, and Qiao Zhou was the first one!
He is indeed a loyal minister!

Liu Chan pulled Qiao Zhou to his side and asked him to sit down, but Qiao Zhou still sat below. Although the other party was no longer the emperor, Qiao Zhou still did not dare to be rude.

Liu Chan spoke enthusiastically about his situation today.

"It's great here. I enjoy myself here all day long. I have nothing to worry about. His Majesty often sends me gifts, fine wine and gorgeous clothes. Look at what I'm wearing now. Isn't it more gorgeous than what I wore before?"

Liu Chan showed off his clothes.

Qiao Zhou just looked at Liu Chan in front of him. He didn't understand whether Liu Chan really thought this place was good or was deliberately being sarcastic to him.

He was silent for a moment before he said, "Your Majesty, I am going back to Shu."

"Don't call him Your Majesty, it's more appropriate to call him Duke."

Liu Chan reminded seriously.

Then he asked suspiciously, "Luoyang is such a good place, why do you want to return to Shu?"

Qiao Zhou raised his head and said seriously, "I have never coveted fame and fortune. I originally proposed surrender only for the sake of the country. I stayed in Luoyang because I was worried about your majesty and worried that you would be bullied, so I didn't dare to leave." "Now that I see your majesty enjoying yourself here and not being treated unfairly, I will return home."

"I intend to live in seclusion in Shu, concentrate on studying the classics, teach more disciples, and spread the knowledge of the sage."

When Liu Chan heard Qiao Zhou's words, he was deeply moved and his eyes turned red.

Huang Hao stood behind Liu Chan without saying a word, with his head lowered and his eyes full of contempt.

It was obvious that he was not valued or rewarded in Luoyang, so he wanted to gain some fame and run back to Shu, but this guy was so hypocritical.

Huang Hao felt very contemptuous about this in his heart, but he said nothing.

Speaking of which, since Liu Chan became the Duke of Anle, Huang Hao never said anything bad about anyone again. Every day he just wholeheartedly let Liu Chan have fun.

He no longer cares about these things.

Liu Chan couldn't help but praise him at this moment, saying, "Mr. Qiao is truly a wise man. Please don't worry. Everything is fine here. No one is bothering me. If you want to go back, just go back."

The two talked for a long time before Qiao Zhou stood up and bid farewell to Liu Chan again.

Qiao Zhou walked out of the mansion reluctantly, got on the carriage, and drove towards his own mansion.

Sitting in the carriage, Qiao Zhou sighed again.

It is good to leave Luoyang, to be away from the tedious government affairs. As a noble man, we are not disturbed by the world.
When he returned to his mansion, a group of people were standing at the door, waiting for him.

Seeing these soldiers, Qiao Zhou's heart trembled.

Even my thoughts were interrupted.

Just as he went to pay a visit to his old master, this man appeared outside his mansion. Could it be that he came to call him to task?

Qiao Zhou thought about how to respond and slowly got off the carriage.

Then he saw a big, rough man quickly walk up to him and look at Qiao Zhou, "Are you the Qiao Zhou?"

"I am exactly that."

"His Majesty wants to see you, so follow me!"

As the man said this, he didn't even give Qiao Zhou a chance to change his clothes. He pulled him into his car and quickly left.

Qiao Zhou was very uneasy at this moment.

He didn't expect that the emperor was so sensitive in this regard. If he had known this earlier, he would not have gone to see the emperor. He had made such a contribution, so he shouldn't be punished for such a thing, right?
Qiao Zhou was full of thoughts, but when Cheng Ji brought him before the emperor, he finally made a decision.

He hurried to meet Cao Mao.

Cao Mao was holding the classics in his hands at this moment, and when he saw Qiao Zhou appear, there was a smile in his eyes.

"I heard that Lord Qiao went to see Lord Anle early this morning. I wonder what they talked about?"

Qiao Zhou's heart trembled, and he quickly explained, "Your Majesty, I am preparing to leave Luoyang, so before leaving, I went to see Duke Anle to say goodbye, and did not discuss anything else!"

Cao Mao frowned, "Then why leave Luoyang?"

Qiao Zhou smiled bitterly, "I am old and mediocre, and my talents and knowledge are lacking. I want to return to Shu and continue my studies."

Cao Mao slowly put down the book in his hand and said, "From what you said, it seems that you are saying that I don't value you, so you want to leave."

"I dare not!"

Cao Mao walked up to him with a smile, helped him up, and pulled him to sit next to him.

"Lord Qiao, you can't leave. When you first came to Luoyang, you were ill. I sent the Imperial Physician to treat you, but he said you needed to rest. I had no choice but to let you recuperate within the palace. Now that you've finally recovered, you're planning to leave. How can this be allowed?"

Qiao Zhou looked at Cao Mao hesitantly. He was not sure what the man in front of him was thinking.

He still thanked Cao Mao for his kindness and once again stated that he had no talent.

"Mr. Qiao, what do you think of Situ Wang's teachings?"

Cao Mao suddenly asked.

Qiao Zhou looked at the book in Cao Mao's hand. If someone else asked, Qiao Zhou would definitely find some faults in Wang Su and criticize him harshly. After all, Wang Su was already dead, so even if he criticized him, he couldn't refute it.

But Cao Mao asked.
"It is indeed a panacea for saving the world and pacifying the people! I have studied the teachings of the prince for a long time and will never forget them! His teachings encompass all the doctrines, combining Confucianism and Taoism to open up a new path."

Qiao Zhou started to praise Wang's school of thought directly, and he kept on praising it for a long time without repeating himself. Even Cao Mao had to admire his ability.

Cao Mao nodded with satisfaction. "I never thought that Lord Qiao would attach so much importance to this. You know, with the prince's death, the compilation and teaching of this classic has not yet been completed. If I let Lord Qiao take charge, wouldn't it be a waste of his talent?"

Qiao Zhou was stunned and quickly said, "Assisting the Holy King is the aspiration of all benevolent people in the world. How can it be said that this is a waste of talent?!"

(End of this chapter)