The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 74 The mastermind behind the scenes
"Mr. Jia!"

At this moment, Jia Chong no longer had the arrogance and pride of the past.

He curled up in the corner of the cell like a dead dog. In the light coming in through the window, one could see his disheveled hair and dusty face.

Hearing the call, Jia Chong suddenly raised his head, his face covered with scars.

When he saw Zhong Hui outside the fence, an infinite desire to survive flashed in his eyes.

"Mr. Zhong! Mr. Zhong!!"

He crawled to the fence, propped his head against it, and stared at Zhong Hui in front of him.

"I'm innocent! I'm innocent! I never betrayed the general! I never leaked the secret!"

"It was Cao Mao who told me this. He also deliberately set up Wang Su to make me reveal his name!"

"I'm telling the truth!!"

Zhong Hui was really disgusted by Jia Chong's disgusting and cowardly appearance.

Celebrities can be afraid of death, but they cannot beg for mercy. Regardless of whether they have integrity or not, they have to pretend to have integrity. I have never seen such a cowardly and afraid of death scholar!
Zhong Hui was a very complicated person. He admired those famous scholars with brilliant literary talent and also yearned for the heroic style of the early Han Dynasty.

But he himself is very close to the Sima family.
But this did not prevent Zhong Hui from despising Jia Chong.

He looked angrily at the official beside him.

"Who told you to torture Jia Gong?!"

"This is outrageous! Don't you all know his past achievements?!"

The officials hurriedly apologized, and Zhong Hui allowed them to open the prison door and bring Jia Chong out.

At this moment, Jia Chong could no longer hold back his inner sadness and burst into tears.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhong! Thank you, Mr. Zhong!"

"Why should this happen between you and me?"

Zhong Hui personally helped Jia Chong leave the court and got into the carriage, but he ordered someone to drive the carriage to his own residence.

"Mr. Jia, the matter has not been thoroughly investigated yet. If I send you back directly, I'm afraid it will cause controversy. Why don't you stay at my house first in the name of investigation? I won't treat you unfairly. I will send you home after the matter is thoroughly investigated. What do you think?"

Jia Chong didn't dare to question it. At this moment, he wanted to respect Zhong Hui as his own father, so he quickly agreed to his request.

"Mr. Zhong, I always thought I was a capable person, with all sorts of tricks and ways to get along with everyone. Now I realize that I am so incompetent that I have been framed to such an extent!!"

Zhong Hui shook his head helplessly. "The main reason is that all the evidence points to you, and the general can no longer be partial."

"I know, I know, I don't dare to blame anyone. These things are all directed at me. Even after hearing those words, I thought I did it myself."

"But I swear! I absolutely did not betray the general. This was all Cao Mao's fault. He's a terrifying guy. I actually fell into his hands!!"

Jia Chong muttered, then looked at Zhong Hui again, his face full of smiles, "Mr. Zhong, I know that I can no longer gain the trust of the general. Please save my life. I am willing to assist you with all my strength. From now on, I will take you as my leader, obey your orders, and work like a slave just for you to save my life."

Although the famous scholars of the Wei and Jin dynasties took medicine, drank wine and talked about idle things, they were not as degenerate as Jia Chong.

Jia Chong was an outlier among the famous scholars of the time, with no moral integrity at all.

Zhong Hui hurriedly said, "What are you talking about? The general's wisdom is known to everyone in the world. How could he wrongly accuse others for no reason?"

The two returned home together, and Zhong Hui sent someone to deliver new clothes to Jia Chong and arranged for him to take a bath.

Then he had dinner with Jia Chong.

Jia Chong was beaten many times in the court, and his back was almost broken.

Kneeling in front of Zhong Hui, he was in great pain, but Zhong Hui seemed not to notice it at all. Jia Chong did not dare to complain, but just lowered his head and kept explaining his own affairs.

Since being captured, Jia Chong has actually explained many times.

He did not keep anything to himself this time and told everyone everything.

However, neither the general nor Zhong Hui seemed to care much about his explanation.

As early as when he decided to hide from Sima Shi, he had already made the choice for Sima Shi.

Zhong Hui changed the topic to another direction.

"Lord Jia, the general is also very distressed. The leak of secrets has ruined the general's plan, and the ministers in the court refuse to calm down and are causing trouble all day long."

Jia Chong was stunned and seemed to be thinking about something.

Zhong Hui pursed his lips and said, "Even if you didn't reveal the secret, what you are hiding is still true, right?"

"This"

Jia Chong was suddenly speechless.

"I think the only solution now is for you to atone for your sins and regain the general's pardon."

Jia Chong did not hesitate, "Please tell me what I should do?!" "Situ Gaorou."

"Ok??"

"what do you mean?"

Jia Chong was a little confused.

"How could a small official like you accomplish such a great feat? Weren't you instructed by Lord Situ?"

Jia Chong felt horrified, "Mr. Zhong, what do you want?"

Zhong Hui sneered, "Ever since the dethronement incident, Lord Situ has lost sight of himself even more. He's trying to get involved in every aspect of the court. The General of the Western Expedition sent someone to ask for his help, but he actually sent them away. Tell me, do we still have a chance to keep such a traitor around?"

Jia Chong hurriedly shook his head. "Mr. Zhong, Mr. Situ is a senior official in the imperial court. He has countless students and former officials. The general holds him in the highest esteem. How can you lay hands on him? No, no."

"If you want to move against Situ Gong, even the general will not be able to suppress the ministers in the temple. Besides, there is also Guanqiu Jian outside. If the two of them conspire, then the good situation will be lost."

Zhong Hui shook his head. "You worry too much. Gao Rou is just a name in name only. He can only stand in the imperial court because of his seniority. How can he compete with the general?"

"When the emperor was deposed and enthroned, Gao Rou sided with the Queen Mother, preventing the general from supporting the King of Pengcheng."

“That’s why we have so many troubles now.”

"How can the general rest in peace if this man is not removed?"

"As for those ministers, haha, the general and I have already discussed that we will establish a new system of official titles. If they benefit from it, will they still speak for an insignificant old man?"

Jia Chong was a little hesitant. Although Jia Chong was badly treated by Cao Mao, he was by no means a stupid man. He always felt that Zhong Hui was not telling him the truth and things were not as simple as he said.

Seeing his hesitation, Zhong Jian frowned and his tone turned cold. "Jia Jun, am I wrong?"

"No, no, that's right! That's right! That old scoundrel Gao Rou was the one who ordered me to do all this, leaking the matter to the Emperor. He wanted to stir up trouble between His Majesty and the General, control His Majesty, and replace the General!"

Even though Jia Chong knew there might be a pit ahead, he had to jump.

Now he is no longer qualified to object to anything.

Soon, the two men settled the matter. Jia Chong wrote an impeachment letter and then followed Zhong Hui into the carriage again.

This time, their destination was Situ Mansion.

When they arrived here, Zhong Hui did not let Jia Chong get off the carriage. He asked him to wait in the carriage while he went to meet Gao Rou.

Gao Rou still liked Zhong Hui very much.

Gao Rou had a good relationship with Zhong Yao. Zhong Yao had admired this younger brother and had helped him several times. Now that he saw Zhong Yao's son, Gao Rou naturally would not be rude.

Gao Rou was famous for his impartiality in enforcing the law, but that was when he was young.

When he was old, he seemed to have become the kind of person he hated the most when he was young. He occupied the three highest positions in the country, colluded with treacherous people, deposed and enthroned emperors, formed cliques for personal gain, and sought profit for himself.

Zhong Hui greeted him respectfully and sat beside him with a complicated expression, seeming to be hesitant to speak.

"Shiji, I have a good relationship with your father. If you have anything to say, please speak directly."

Zhong Hui then reluctantly took out the impeachment and handed it to Gao Rou.

"Take a look at this first."

Gao Rou picked it up, glanced through it casually, a hint of anger flashed in her eyes, but she put it down calmly.

"Jia Chong? Why would he want to frame me?"

Zhong Hui hurriedly said, "Lord Gao, Jia Chong plotted to sow discord between Your Majesty and the General. He was discovered and imprisoned. This is what he presented to the General. The General is extremely angry and has asked me to question you."

"Inquiry? Oh, you're here to question me?"

Gao Rou was not afraid. "I never get involved in these things. Why don't you just send someone to arrest me?"

"Lord Gao, you are trying to alienate the ruler and his ministers, and you want to replace the general. This is a crime punishable by genocide!"

Gao Rou narrowed her eyes and her attitude towards Zhong Hui suddenly became much colder.

"so what?"

"The general said that the ministers in the court are very uneasy and need an old minister like you to appease them, so that they can do their work with peace of mind and not always think about receiving rewards. The ministers in the court all look up to you as their leader, and among the ministers, you have the highest reputation. Please come forward to help."

After Zhong Hui finished speaking, he quickly added, "Mr. Gao, this is what the general said. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not his lobbyist. I came to you on my own initiative."

"I really don't want any more misunderstandings to arise between you and the general!"

"Nonsense!!!"

P.S. Dear readers, please don't judge the characters from a God's perspective. Our perspective is different from theirs. How could they know that the protagonist could predict the future? In their eyes, the protagonist is just a slightly smart thirteen-year-old child. Some people say that I made Sima Shi too amazing, while others say that I made him too stupid. I believe that I wrote about the strengths and weaknesses of each of them. If it doesn't achieve the effect you expected, then I will continue to work hard.

(End of this chapter)