Unlimited employment

Chapter 77【Year of Jiazi】

In the seventh year of Guanghe, the first month was the last day of the year.

Luoyang City, night.

The lights had just come on, and the Shangshu Mansion was already filled with the sounds of singing and dancing, and the music of stringed instruments.

General He Jin, General He Miao, Left General Huangfu Song, Right General Zhu Jun, Grand Marshal Yuan Wei, Minister of the Interior Yang Ci, eunuch Jian Shuo, Imperial Censor Wang Yun... and more than twenty other high-ranking officials and nobles entered the hall one after another and knelt at the banquet. No one drank, no one flirted with the singing girls, and they just occasionally talked in a low voice with the people sitting next to them.

Only after all the guests were seated did Lu Zhi, the owner of the mansion, dismiss the musicians and singers.

He stood up and personally moved the screen in front of the main seat, looking respectfully at the real host of the banquet.

Behind the screen, the 28-year-old emperor was kneeling behind a desk, looking at an urgent military intelligence that had just been delivered.

After four years of living here and recuperating, Liu Hong is no longer the frail man he was four years ago. He is now tall and strong, serious and with an indelible sense of majesty between his brows.

Seeing the screen removed, he casually threw the military intelligence in his hand onto the table, raised his head, and smiled at everyone at the table.

"At the end of September last year, the Imperial Master defeated the Xiongnu on the grasslands, beheading their Great Chanyu, the Left and Right Wise Kings, the Left and Right Guli Kings, the Left and Right Generals, the Left and Right Grand Commandants, the Left and Right Grand Householders, the Left and Right Gudu Marquises, and annihilating all the high-ranking officials and dignitaries of the Xiongnu royal court. He also killed over ten thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen and captured twenty thousand young and strong men, and forty thousand the elderly, weak, women, and children. Everyone knows this, right?

Two hours ago, military intelligence arrived again, saying that in the past few months the Northern Expedition Army had slaughtered the Xiongnu's cattle and sheep, made dried meat, and saltpetred cattle and sheep hides, with a fruitful harvest.

Half a month ago, the national teacher led his army on the return journey and is expected to return in early March.

My dear ministers, what do you think?

These words immediately infuriated the ministers. He Jin, who was sitting at the first left seat at the table, spoke immediately.

"Thinking that Zhang Shou had only a few merits, relying on Your Majesty's favor to quell several rebellions in the country, he became increasingly rampant.

Two years ago, he wrote a letter to the emperor complaining about the Wuhuan disturbing the border, attempting to provoke a conflict on his own to gain military merit. Your Majesty sympathized with him because he had been fighting for years without a break, so he did not allow it.

This man actually rode alone into the territory of Wuhuan and took off the head of their Great Chanyu, forcing the friendly Wuhuan tribe to invade our dynasty.

His Majesty had no choice but to order him to go to war. As a result, he only led 5,000 people, but by chance he won the battle.

Last spring, Zhang Shou again wrote to the emperor that the Xiongnu were disturbing the border. Your Majesty believed that the Xiongnu was far more powerful than the Wuhuan and still refused to allow the war.

Who would have thought that he could actually raise 5,000 soldiers from the public, forcing His Majesty to agree to let him go on another expedition.

Privately raising troops and horses, and disobeying Your Majesty, is truly a sign of disloyalty."

As He Jin finished speaking, the Grand Marshal Yuan Wei, who was sitting in the first right seat at the table, also spoke.

"What the general just said was only about Zhang Shou's domineering behavior in the army.

This man, the Imperial Master, has placed countless Taiping Dao members in the court over the past few years. Now, 30% of the minor officials in the Secretariat, the Censorate, and the Nine Ministers were either sent in by him or are Taiping Dao followers.

With these low-ranking but powerful officials controlling government affairs, most of the central power of Yanhan has now fallen into their hands.

With such power, even if he was obedient and respectful, he would still be as respectful and modest as Wang Mang of the Han Dynasty before he usurped the throne.

Not to mention his unbridled and overbearing attitude. If he develops second thoughts, it will be a disaster that will devastate the world."

As soon as Yuan Wei finished speaking, Situ Yang Ci on the side added.

"Your Majesty, in the past few years, the Taiping Dao has used the government's power to spread its teachings throughout the country. To date, there are millions of believers.

These followers have no respect for the law, they only believe in God, and only see the great and virtuous teacher, but they don’t know that there are laws in the world and the emperor above their heads.

If this continues, unspeakable things will happen.

Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible and eradicate this evil teaching."

General He Miao also spoke. "Zhang Shou has another crime, and that is using sorcery to control the twelve palace eunuchs.

Although those twelve eunuchs had done wrong things in the past, they had protected Your Majesty as he grew up in the palace, so they still had some affection for him.

But Zhang Shou used sorcery to distort their minds, making the eunuchs obey his orders. His behavior was simply insane and horrifying.

In order to avoid alerting the enemy and avoiding the eunuchs' eyes and ears, we have to be very cautious at every banquet. It's really hateful!"

When one person stopped talking, the eunuch Jian Shuo, who had been waiting for a long time, also spoke.

"Your Majesty, over the past few years, the demon Taoist Zhang Shou has taken action many times to quell numerous border wars and local unrest. We have roughly figured out the upper limit of his magical abilities.

He discovered that although this technique had magical qualities that could not be matched by martial arts, it did not have the true ability to know everything, and its martial arts power was far less powerful than that of a martial saint who appeared only once every few hundred years.

Four hundred years ago, Han Xin was able to lead an army of hundreds of thousands to besiege and kill the Martial Saint Xiang Yu.

If we can plan well, we are confident that we can kill the demon Zhang Shou!"

The last official to speak among the officials present was the Imperial Censor Wang Yun.

He clapped his hands, and servants came in from outside the hall carrying a sleeping woman on a stretcher.

The woman had a slim figure and her face was covered with a white veil. Although only the upper half of her face could be seen and her eyes were closed, one could still tell that she was beautiful and charming.

Wang Yun stood up, walked to the center of the hall and bowed respectfully to Liu Hong.

"Your Majesty, this is my friend's adopted daughter, Diao Chan. She is a natural beauty and has been practicing the Martial Saint's martial arts from the Dinglu chapter of the 'Great Compassion Fu of Yin and Yang in the Intercourse of Heaven and Earth' since she was young.

This skill was created by a martial arts saint in ancient times to assist in practicing martial arts. It allows girls with pure yin bodies to practice it from a young age and thus develop a body of pure mysterious yin energy.

After his martial arts skills have been perfected, a man can use the double shame method to absorb the true energy for his own use, which may even help him break through to the realm of martial arts saint.

However, the Xuanyin Qi is extremely refined and pure. If it is not refined by the corresponding method, it will be deposited in the six meridians of the three yin hands and three yin feet of men, hindering the circulation of true Qi.

As long as one of the eunuchs happens to get hold of Diao Chan and the Dinglu Chapter, given their loyal nature, they will definitely offer the girl to Zhang Shou for his enjoyment.

And Zhang Shou was obsessed with martial arts, so he would definitely not be able to help but absorb this mysterious Yin energy.

By then, we can seize the opportunity to surround and kill this demon."

Having said that, Wang Yun pointed to the young people sitting at the end of the table.

"As for Zhang Shou's sorcery, Jian Shuo, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and the other eight commanders of Xiyuan have practiced for years, developing methods to break and counter each of his magic techniques.

With the eight of them charging ahead, and the dozen or so people present here supporting them, and most importantly, with Your Majesty's unrivaled military might, we will surely be able to annihilate this thief in one fell swoop."

"I will dedicate myself to your majesty and destroy this villain!"

The eight captains of Xiyuan knelt on the ground and swore to the emperor in unison that they would fight to the death.

"I will dedicate myself to your majesty and destroy this villain!"

All the high-ranking officials in the hall knelt down towards the main seat.

"Very good, the morale is good, and all the humiliation I have endured over the years is worth it."

Liu Hong stood up, picked up a glass of turbid wine, and toasted to the dozen people in the hall.

"Zhang Shou, the demon Taoist, controls the military and political affairs and covets the divine weapon. He is truly seeking his own death.

This year is the Jiazi year, and sixty Jiazi cycles form a cycle. The Yanhan Dynasty, whose imperial power is declining, will surely see a new era under my leadership..."

(End of this chapter)