The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 169 Grand Commandant
Xu Shu spent most of the day explaining in detail the methods of selecting officials in Cao Wei.

They offered their own insights on both the good and the bad, the gains and the losses.

But that's all I'll say.

He was ultimately Cao Pi's envoy.

To say something like this already shows consideration for the past relationship between Liu Bei and his former master.

Taking one more step would be tantamount to surrendering outright.

Liu Bei certainly wanted to retain Xu Shu.

However, Xu Shu had his own principles:

"I am of average appearance, incapable of governing the country above or comforting the people below; there is no benefit in keeping me here."

"If Heaven grants its favor and Your Majesty's carriage enters Luoyang in the future, how dare I not bring food and drink to welcome the royal army?"

"If Heaven does not grant me a long life, I will offer my birthday wishes to Your Majesty from the underworld, that is all!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei held Xu Shu's hand for a long time, but ultimately did not insist on keeping him.

In the days that followed, Liu Bei did not discuss state affairs and spent his days drinking, feasting, and having fun with Xu Shu.

They even invited him to participate in various ceremonies to reward meritorious officials and provide relief to the deceased.

It was as if he had not defeated Cao Wei's army, and Xu Shu was not an envoy sent by Cao Pi.

They have clearly put the ill intentions of some people out of their minds.

He only showed favor to Xu Shu.

If any official submitted a memorial to advise against it, Mi Wei was instructed to return the memorial, saying that they would discuss it again after Xu Shu left.

But the time for us to meet again will eventually come.

On the day Xu Shu took his leave, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang went out of the city together to greet and see him off for ten miles.

He then ordered General Zhao Han and Attendant-in-Ordinary Mi Wei to escort Xu Shu another ten miles until Xu Shu boarded the ship.

"General Mi, the ferry crossing is just ahead. Let's part ways here."

Xu Shu reined in his horse and turned back.

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei gestured for his attendants to leave and handed a package to the other person.

Xu Shu opened it out of curiosity, and after just one glance, he was shocked as if struck by lightning.

Inside the bag was a beautiful purple and white ribbon, and a heavy gold seal.

Gold seal and purple ribbon.

According to the Han dynasty system, only the Three Dukes and generals with titles equivalent to the Three Dukes could wear gold and purple robes.

Mi Wei solemnly declared in a loud voice:
"His Majesty has issued an edict: Since I ascended the throne, the position of Grand Commandant has been vacant except for that of Xu Yuanzhi, because Xu Yuanzhi has not been seen."

"Now that I have survived fourteen years of tribulations and have been able to see an old friend, it is clear that the choice between staying and leaving is ordained by fate. You should not refuse."

After saying this, Mi Wei softened his tone and smiled, saying:
"If the Grand Commandant is worried that this seal of office will bring disaster to his family in Luoyang, he can simply sink the boat into the river after boarding."

"His Majesty also said that Xu Yuanzhi is the only Grand Commandant in his reign. Whether he has an official seal or not is irrelevant."

Xu Shu remained silent for a long time.

At this moment, he recalled the scene of parting with Liu Bei fourteen years ago.

At that time, his mother was captured by Cao Cao's soldiers. He pointed to his heart and said to Liu Bei, "This small place is in chaos."

As the years have passed, I thought that with age and experience, my heart had become as still as water and as steadfast as a mountain.

But little did they expect that a single, casual remark from an old friend could cause such a cataclysmic upheaval, shaking the very earth.

Xu Shu looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.

He slowly closed the package.

Road:
"Please tell the lord that Xu Shu's talent is not worthy of a position of ten thousand bushels of grain, and that the lord should only consider it as a case of spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones."

"When I return, I will surely praise the lord's benevolence to the people of my village."

Mi Weidao:
Would the Cao Wei rulers and their ministers allow it?

Xu Shu smiled upon hearing this, a hint of cunning in his expression:

"Why shouldn't we allow rural discussions of metaphysics, which don't involve the established social order of scholars?"

"Besides, didn't the Wei court send me as an envoy precisely because I have an old friendship with our lord?"

"From now on, the whole world will know that our lord cherishes the past. If I return and do not mention it at all, wouldn't that be contrary to common sense and even more suspicious?"

Well, so all this time, Old Liu and Old Xu have been showing off in town, waiting for this moment.

However, it seems that Xu Shu had actually anticipated this.

Upon realizing this, Miwei suddenly noticed.

In fact, the "Liu Bei dividend" has not been exhausted.

It's just that more advanced usage skills will be needed in the future.

……

After seeing Xu Shu off, Liu Bei officially issued an edict ordering the imperial court and the outer court to discuss the system for selecting officials in the future.

Officials of all ranks, including Mi Wei, were required to propose countermeasures.

For a time, memorials and reports were sent to the Ministry of Personnel and the inner court in droves, arriving daily in an endless stream.

As a court attendant, Mi Wei's arms ached from helping Liu Bei organize bamboo slips every day.

However, the most troublesome thing is how to write this short essay well.

The good news is that since the system for selecting officials and the laws that Liu Bei had previously asked to be discussed can be considered as one thing, he can collaborate on the two and write one piece.

The bad news is that the "Nine-Rank System" had a profound impact on history for hundreds of years to come, and it is not easy to write a good article about it.

Following the crowd and learning from Cao Wei would clearly go against the understanding of him as a person of later generations.

They did this before they time-traveled, and they're still doing it after they time-traveled.

Then his time travel was for nothing?
But if he really wants to make a big splash and create a major news story, let's not even talk about whether he has the ability.

What to do about the resistance from local scholars?
How should we calculate the struggle for the scholar-official class between the Han and Wei dynasties?
Although the Shu Han state had just conquered Liangzhou, various factors such as population and geography hindered its progress.

The situation of Wei being strong and Han being weak has not fundamentally changed.

It's just that the difference has been reduced compared to the original history.

At least until it took Guanzhong, Cao Wei could still be considered the hegemon of the north.

In this situation, should we sacrifice long-term plans for short-term gains?
Even setting aside these military aspects...

Looking at the system itself, how should it be improved if one wants to continue to improve it?
Should we simply copy the imperial examination system of the Tang and Song dynasties?

Miwei did indeed have such a plan at first.

He even fantasized about "shocking" the world with this.

However, upon checking the palace records, it was discovered that the examination and talent selection model had precedents as early as the Yangjia era of Emperor Shun of Han.

Zuo Xiong, the Grand Secretary of the Han Dynasty more than ninety years ago, added an examination selection layer to the original recommendation system.

Confucian scholars were also tested on classical studies, while civil officials were also tested on legal documents and decrees.

This is to weed out those who are filial sons and honest officials in name only.

This was historically known as the "Yangjia New System".

Although it differs from the imperial examination system of later generations.

But it did indeed set a precedent for exams.

The exams are still divided into subjects.

In short, there's no way to be shocked.

If it's done poorly, people will laugh at it as a poor imitation.

Mi Wei had no choice but to adopt the same approach he had taken when preparing for exams in his previous life, scouring through materials at home and in the palace, and racking his brains for several days.

However, they still couldn't find the right method.

One day, while moving bamboo slips, he accidentally dropped them and hit his own foot.

Amidst the screams of pain, he finally had a profound realization.

He grabbed his panicked wife and laughed loudly:

"So it turns out they were blinded by their own involvement!"

"The answer is so obvious!"

Guan Linghui did not understand his meaning:
"what is the answer?"

Miwei pinched his wife's almond-shaped cheek and said:

"The answer is simply that everything is for the sake of lying flat!"

……

Just as Mi Wei finally opened up the Ren and Du meridians in his mind and began to write with divine inspiration.

Meanwhile, Xu Shu returned to Luoyang after his successful mission.

The story of Liu Bei receiving Cao Pi's envoy.

Under the deliberate manipulation of Cao Wei officials.

The news quickly spread to Jiangdong.

The Wu Kingdom was shaken.

Accusations of Liu Bei's betrayal of the alliance arose one after another.

Even the long-dormant "discussion on returning Jingzhou" has resurfaced from obscurity.

But compared to the uproar in the government and the public.

Sun Quan was at the center of the storm.

Along with several of Sun Quan's trusted ministers,

The Central Commander was Zhuge Jin, the General of Jianwei was Lü Fan, the Governor of Ruxu was Zhu Huan, the Grand Governor was Zhu Ran, and the Deputy Governor was Lu Xun.

Yet they all appeared remarkably calm.

Especially Sun Quan himself.

He believed he understood Cao Pi's and Liu Bei's intentions better than anyone else.

After all, when it comes to being able to please everyone...

If Sun Zhongmou dares to claim second place, who dares to claim first?

In the west, he formed a Sun-Liu alliance with Liu Bei.

In the north, he was still nominally the King of Wu of the Great Wei.

No matter how much you dodge and weave, there's always room for maneuver with the other side.

Ultimately, the reason lies in the fact that Sun Quan had long seen through the true nature of how Cao Cao and Liu Bei rose to power.

He went through a process of abdication to claim the Han dynasty as his successor.

A restoration of the Han dynasty based on the legitimacy of the imperial clan.

The two sides are fundamentally incompatible.

It's destined to be a fight to the death.

Since Cao cannot tolerate Liu and Liu cannot tolerate Cao, both sides are aware of this.

Why then did Cao Pi openly send an envoy to meet Liu Bei?

Sun Quan had already made his plans.

But he deliberately left it unsaid, and looked around at the assembled officials, his gaze first falling on Zhuge Jin.

"What does Ziyu think Cao's intentions are?"

(End of this chapter)