My game can make money starting from the Three Kingdoms period.

Another half month

Zhuge Liang did not reply for a long time.

After finishing his work on military supplies, Zhuge Liang summoned Fei Yi.

"Wenwei, we need you to go to Chaisang yourself!"

"Prime Minister, this is..."

Zhuge Liang's expression was grave. "Just in case, I copied the letter into three parts and sent them to Chaisang via three different routes. However, half the month has passed, and there has been no response. I'm afraid..."

Fei Yi immediately clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute, "Your subordinate is willing to go!"

Not to mention the urgency in Zhuge Liang's words, Fei Yi was also flustered and at a loss.

In the unlikely event that something were to happen to Chaisang, although Emperor Liu Bei was benevolent and would not exterminate the entire clan, the life of his paternal uncle, Fei Guan, would be in grave danger!

Just then, Yang Yi rushed over in a panic.

"Prime Minister! Something terrible has happened!"

Fei Yi's heart skipped a beat.

Yang Yi knew that Fei Yi was a confidant of Zhuge Liang, so he made no attempt to conceal it.

"Lord Li sent me to invite the Prime Minister to discuss matters!"

Fei Yi, overwhelmed with concern, asked, "Did something happen to my clansman?"

"I don't know."

Zhuge Liang took a deep breath. "This matter is still undecided. Wenwei, we will decide whether to proceed after I return."

"Yes, Prime Minister."

Zhuge Liang and Yang Yi went to the palace together.

Although it is called the imperial palace, it was actually the former prefecture of Yizhou.

After Liu Bei ascended the throne, he did not undertake large-scale construction of palaces. Firstly, he was facing internal and external troubles and needed to save money for war. Secondly, he was determined to restore the Han Dynasty and return to the old capital. What would be the point of building a palace?

Therefore, building a palace in Chengdu now would, in a sense, make Liu Bei appear disheartened and demoralized. How could that be acceptable?

The Prime Minister's residence is not far from the imperial palace; it's just a few steps away.

No tactless officials or attendants dared to check Zhuge Liang's official credentials; they went straight to the Crown Prince's Palace.

While Liu Bei was away on campaign, the state was overseen by his son, Crown Prince Liu Shan. This was to allow him to learn how to handle political affairs.

Minister Xu Jing, Minister Li Yan, and Crown Prince Liu Shan are all present.

"Your Highness, has something major happened in Jingzhou?"

Zhuge Liang walked quickly and didn't have time to bow properly. He simply cupped his hands to Liu Shan and hurriedly asked a question.

"Something big has happened in Jingzhou? What big thing could happen in Jingzhou?" Liu Shan, with his gentle and handsome appearance, looked puzzled.

Perhaps due to the authority of his imperial family, Liu Shan appeared somewhat innocent, completely unaware of the undercurrents swirling in Jingzhou.

Zhuge Liang was taken aback for a moment, then let out a long sigh of relief.

It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright.

"It was Liu Sikong, who passed away from illness."

"Liu Ba has passed away?!" Zhuge Liang's expression darkened.

From Zhuge Liang's political perspective, Liu Ba was a rare comrade-in-arms.

Liu Ba was honest and frugal. Even though he held a high position, he was respectful, quiet, and taciturn. He never had any private interactions with people outside of court and never discussed anything other than official business.

Working with Liu Ba on official business was smooth and pleasant.

"The Crown Prince summoned Liang, for..."

Zhuge Liang then made up for the lack of proper etiquette.

The fact that Jingzhou was peaceful, but Liu Ba was lost, also caused Zhuge Liang great distress.

What else could he be summoned for? Of course, it was to ask Prime Minister Zhuge Liang who could temporarily fill the vacant position of Minister of Works before Liu Bei recruited anyone.

The Minister of Works, with a gold seal and purple ribbon, was in charge of water and soil affairs, and his official rank was 10,000 shi (a unit of grain measure).

It can be said that the position of Sikong was a very lucrative one, a job that was extremely profitable!

Li Yan's words confirmed Zhuge Liang's conjecture: "Now that Liu Bei is missing from the court, the Crown Prince wishes to inquire of Prime Minister Zhuge, who is capable of shouldering this important responsibility?"

There was no mourning for Liu Ba's death.

All of them are driven by a desire for power.

When Liu Ba was ill, Zhuge Liang visited him several times.

The sudden news of his impending doom, which was not a cause for mourning but rather a demand to divide up the remaining power, truly chilled Zhuge Liang's heart.

Logically speaking, with Liu Ba's death, Li Yan should be the most suitable person to succeed him as one of the Three Dukes.

And only Li Yan is qualified.

Li Yan summoned Xu Jing and questioned him in front of the Crown Prince, openly coercing Zhuge Liang into agreeing to Li Yan's concurrent appointment as Minister of Works and demanding that Zhuge Liang make the suggestion.

Li Yan would half-heartedly say that he was there to relieve His Majesty's worries, and then reluctantly take on the additional responsibility.

According to the court hierarchy established by Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, as the prime minister, was above the Three Dukes, but in terms of power, he was in charge of logistics and thus did not have the same authority as the Three Dukes.

As for Li Yan's position as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, it was a prime example of a low-ranking but powerful official. No one could ignore this Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, whose rank was less than a thousand.

Other examples include the Censorate and the Prefectural Governors.

The most typical example is Xun Yu during Cao Cao's reign. He held a pivotal position for more than a decade, consistently serving as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. His status within the Cao Wei group is self-evident.

Li Yan holds the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, yet he also aspires to become one of the Three Dukes; his ambition is truly considerable.

If he were to actually take on this role, from a certain perspective, he would be able to surpass Zhuge Liang by a significant margin!

Liu Shan nodded repeatedly, "Indeed, Prime Minister Zhuge, do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

All three men's eyes were fixed on Zhuge Liang.

While expressing his regret for Liu Ba, Zhuge Liang said, "Zhang Yi, the Prefect of Lujiang, is quick-witted and capable; he is suitable to be Minister of Works."

"That's not appropriate." Li Yan subconsciously rejected Zhuge Liang's recommendation.

Zhuge Liang then cited, "Dong He, the Prefect of Yuzhang, was poor and frugal; Chen Zhen, the Prefect of Wenshan, was loyal and devoted..."

Zhuge Liang recommended several people, but none of them were related to Li Yan.

Although many of these people were on good terms with Li Yan, they also included members of the Dongzhou faction.

Of course

Did Li Yan want to help one of his underlings sit with him? Of course not!

Yang Yi was upset that his subordinate Lu Congtian was treated as an equal, so why shouldn't Li Yan be the same?

Various excuses, such as "it's not right," "returning will cause trouble," and "no one can replace him," kept coming out of Li Yan's mouth.

At this point, it was Liu Shan who became unhappy. "Minister Li, this won't do, that won't do, so who can do it?"

Li Yan certainly wanted to recommend himself, but could he say so openly?

Zhuge Liang then offered Li Yan a way out, saying, "Your Highness, please calm down. His Majesty is currently on a military campaign and there is no construction work underway. Why not temporarily leave the position of Minister of Works vacant and issue a widespread decree to recruit talented individuals, declaring that the position is open to the virtuous and heroic, thus attracting heroes from all over the world to join our Han Dynasty?"

Liu Shan was overjoyed upon hearing this, "The Prime Minister's words are very insightful! What does Minister Xu think?"

Zhuge Liang's suggestion was truly brilliant.

Zhuge Liang recommended so many people, but Li Yan disagreed with them all.

This forced Li Yan to refrain from recommending himself.

After all, if he continues to recommend himself, wouldn't his motives be too obvious?

Zhuge Liang perfectly exploited Li Yan's ambition for power and profit!

Then they took advantage of Liu Shan's impatience.

It is suggested that the position of Sikong be left vacant to prevent those with ulterior motives from taking advantage of their positions to "legitimately and legally" exploit Shu Han, and to achieve the effect of recruiting talented people.

More importantly, all the people Zhuge Liang had previously recommended had been rejected by Li Yan, and Li Yan could not settle for letting his younger brother take the position.

His expression was as if he had swallowed a fly, clearly uncomfortable.

Upon seeing this, Xu Jing realized that Li Yan had completely fallen into Zhuge Liang's trap.

Moreover, if he continues to support Li Yan, he would be being tactless.

Seeing Xu Jing cup his hands in greeting, he said, "Your Highness, please make the decision."

As a mascot, Xu Jing is self-aware and knows what he should and shouldn't participate in.