The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 716: Fight For It

"Brother!!"

Seeing Cao Qi coming, Xiahou He felt it was not appropriate to stay any longer and bowed to Cao Mao to say goodbye.

Cao Mao glanced at his useless brother and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Brother, I'm here to recommend someone for you!"

"Oh?"

Cao Qi hurriedly told Cao Mao about Liu Xuan, and Cao Mao listened to him carefully.

Finally, a smile appeared on his face.

"You, a brat, have actually learned to recommend talented people. According to your opinion, what official position should Liu Xuan be given?"

Cao Qi continued, "After all, this man has just started his career. I think he can be made a Lang first, then sent out as a Ling. Then we'll see how he performs. If he's exceptional, he can be transferred back to the Three Offices. If he's just passable but not outstanding, he can be promoted normally. If he's unsatisfactory, he can be transferred back to the Imperial College to continue teaching."

Cao Mao was very satisfied with this guy's answer.

"At your age, it's already very good that you can think of these things. Don't rush to leave today, stay and have dinner!"

Cao Qi laughed, "Thank you, brother!"

When Cao Qi first arrived in Luoyang, he was very afraid of his brother.

Of course, he is still afraid now, but this fear is different from before.

At the beginning, he was afraid that he would be killed by his brother. After all, Emperor Wen had left valuable experience for future generations in terms of harming his own younger brother.

But Cao Mao thought differently. Since he came to Luoyang, although Cao Mao was very strict with him, he never had any intention of harming him. Most of the princes of the Cao family were precocious, and because of the long-term persecution in the temple, their political ability and ability to protect their lives were very high!

They were much more powerful than the royal families of other dynasties, because those who were not so powerful had died on the way of migration.

They are good at acting crazy, pretending to be confused, and making small mistakes from time to time.

Although Cao Qi was young, he knew in his heart that his brother was strict with him for his own good, not to harm him.

Cao Mao finally reversed the royal family's prejudice against the emperor.

Since Cao Mao came to power, he has never killed any members of the royal family. Even if there are some people he dislikes, he endures them and does not deal with them.

The queen often exchanged letters with the families of these royal family members, and sometimes she would summon royal family members from inside and outside Luoyang to banquets.

The royal family's opinion of the emperor became increasingly favorable.

I don’t know what others say, but in the eyes of the royal family, Cao Mao is definitely a holy emperor who surpasses Emperor Wen.

Anyone who dares to disrespect him should first ask the royal family members in various places whether they agree.

Cao Mao also gradually relaxed many restrictions on the royal family members. Of course, he did not let go of some core things, such as military power.

There is nothing wrong with treating members of the royal family well, but we cannot let the Eight Kings Rebellion of the Western Jin Dynasty happen again.

When treating the royal family well, one must strike a balance. One cannot be as harsh as during the reign of Emperor Wen, nor can one be as frightening as during the Western Jin Dynasty.

Of course, we cannot support them as lavishly as the Ming Dynasty did, as that would be too much for the national treasury.

However, Cao Mao has a lot of things to do now. The royal family has just returned to his loyalty, so he doesn't have time to deal with the royal family's problems. It will take many, many years for these royal family problems to erupt completely, and it won't be too late to take action after he has finished other things.

The two brothers sat in the Taiji Hall and talked about the situation at the Imperial Academy.

Cao Qi met many good friends in the Imperial College, many of whom Cao Mao felt could be promoted and reused in the future and would become pillars of the government.

"The Imperial Academy today is truly overflowing with talent, but unfortunately the students are getting younger and younger. A few days ago, someone brought their little baby to the Imperial Academy, saying they wanted him enrolled. I saw that baby was even younger than Zuo Si, not even ten years old!"

"Duke Xiahou was very angry and drove him away."

Cao Mao knew that the wealthy families had a tradition of praising child prodigies, and that each of them was gifted. They wished to send their children to the Imperial Academy as soon as they were born, and then find a very famous scholar to endorse their studies.

Cao Mao shook his head. "This is really getting outrageous. Let's not talk about Zuo Si. Although he's young, his abilities in studying classics and other subjects are comparable to those of an adult. And they dare send a child younger than him to the Imperial Academy? Whose disciple is this?"

Cao Qi hesitated for a long time before saying, "It seems to be the child of the Taiguan Ling family."

Cao Mao was stunned. "Grand Official's Order?"

He looked at the attendant beside him and said, "Go and call the Imperial Official in."

The attendant hurried out.

Soon, the Imperial Eunuch Zhang Wen appeared in front of Cao Mao.

"Your Majesty, your servant Zhang Wen pays respects to you!"

"Meet the king."

After he bowed, he looked at the food in front of the two people. Could it be that the food was not cooked well?
That’s not right. These are all Yuancheng dishes that Your Majesty likes to eat.

He didn't dare to ask more questions and just looked at Cao Mao eagerly.

Cao Mao frowned and hesitated for a moment. He had some impression of this man. He remembered that he was from Liangzhou and was an honest man. In an era when everyone was corrupt, he was the only one who did not. Cao Mao admired him very much and put him in charge of all the meals in the palace.

He doesn't seem like the type to brag about his son.

Cao Mao asked, "Did you send your son to the Imperial College before?"

"exactly!"

"Well, what's your son's name?"

Zhang Wen didn't know why His Majesty asked this question. Thinking of this, Zhang Wen felt very bitter. His son was originally smart, and now at his age, he has already started studying classics. He originally wanted to send his son to the Imperial College to let everyone see how outstanding his son is.

As a result, before he could even say anything, he was scolded by Xiahou He.

This cannot be blamed on Xiahou He. It is mainly because there are too many people like this, and these big families like to build momentum for their own children.

Going to the Imperial College at a young age can make you famous.

After being driven away, Zhang Wen's story became a joke, and everyone in Luoyang used it to make fun of him.

This made Zhang Wen even angrier. Now, hearing His Majesty's question, although he was confused, he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, my son's name is Zhang Gui."

Cao Mao's eyes lit up. "Is it the track for the train?"

"Exactly."

That’s right, it turned out to be Zhang Gui, the founder of Former Liang.

Cao Mao was a little dazed, but soon calmed down.

This guy is indeed very talented, and is on par with Liu Yuan. If the period when he was a governor is included, the regime established by his descendants is even the longest-lasting one among those small countries.

Zhang Wen looked at Cao Mao in confusion, not knowing why Cao Mao asked this.

"It's a good name, but it's still too early for him to go to the Imperial College. How about this, since you've been doing your job diligently over the years, I'll arrange a teacher for your son."

Zhang Wen was overjoyed and bowed profusely to express his gratitude.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"

Cao Qi looked at Zhang Wen and then at Cao Mao.

He probably thought about who his brother was going to arrange to teach the child, but why did his brother value a child so much?

Cao Mao said, "Let Zhang Hua be your son's teacher!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Qi thanked him again.

Zhang Hua's reputation among the ministers was not very good because he was too favored by the emperor. But for Zhang Wen, this was not a disadvantage. Everyone could think that at Zhang Hua's age, he would definitely be a pillar of the future and the cornerstone of the court. Isn't it the greatest care to let his son follow such a person?
Cao Mao then said: "You should also pay more attention to your children and make them study hard so that they can serve the country in the future."

"only!!"

After Zhang Wen left, Cao Qi asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, why do you attach so much importance to a little kid?"

"His father is kind and has followed me for many years. He would definitely be ridiculed if he experienced something like this. If I were to find a teacher for his son, no one would dare to laugh at them."

Cao Qi sighed, "Brother, you are truly a benevolent and righteous ruler!"

The two brothers ate for a long time before Cao Mao let Cao Qi leave.

When Cao Qi walked to the door, Cao Mao reminded him to make more friends. The more people he knew, the better he would know how to judge people.

Zhang Hua, who had been busy all day, had just arrived at his residence when he saw a man standing at the door with a baby. When he saw him, he smiled and came forward to greet him.

Zhang Hua was very suspicious, but he still hurried to return the gift.

He thought the man looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was.

"Mr. Zhang, you've been very busy these days, haven't you? You haven't been to the palace for a long time. In the past, whenever you came, His Majesty would order us to prepare your favorite food in advance."

Zhang Hua suddenly realized and immediately remembered the other party's identity.

"Yes, I've been quite busy lately. Come with me into the mansion and we'll talk in detail!"

Zhang Hua usually doesn't receive guests.

After all, he works for the Ministry of Personnel, and no one knows the guest's purpose. Once he enters the mansion, it will be useless to explain anything. It would be better to just close the door and not see the guest.

It was also because of Zhang Hua's order that the servants in his mansion would not lead guests in even if they saw there were guests outside the door.

But there is no need to worry so much about Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen is a close minister and has followed the emperor for a long time. If he didn't even understand this principle, he would not have been able to stay in the palace until today.

Zhang Hua took them to the guest room. After they sat down, servants brought them tea and food.

Zhang Hua smiled and said, "I used to eat your food, but today I'll let you taste my food."

The two exchanged greetings before Zhang Wen took out the emperor's letter.

Zhang Hua took the letter from Cao Mao, read it for a moment, and looked at the little guy beside him in surprise.

Just now, Zhang Hua thought that this person came to ask him to be the boy's teacher, and he even thought about how to refuse him.

As a result, he handed himself an imperial edict.

Obey the imperial edict and become a disciple? ?
Who dares to refuse this!
This was truly something that His Majesty could do. At this point, Zhang Hua could only accept this disciple who had fallen from the sky with a wry smile.

Zhang Gui was very excited and quickly stood up to greet him.

"Disciple Zhang Gui greets the teacher!!"

"From now on, I will definitely study diligently under my teacher and repay the emperor for his service!"

Only then did Zhang Hua nod.

This kid is pretty good.

(End of this chapter)