Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

What? You want to send your granddaughter into His Majesty's harem?

Your sister is the current Empress Dowager. If your granddaughter marries His Majesty, wouldn't that mess up the generational order?

Faced with a critical moment, Fei Yi thought of marrying his daughter to Chen Zhi, while Wu Yi thought of sending his granddaughter to the palace. It seems that no matter the era, marriage is the most direct and trustworthy way to form an alliance.

However, Chen Zhi could not possibly agree to such conditions on Liu Shan's behalf.

Chen Zhi shook his head helplessly: "As subjects, how can we speak on His Majesty's behalf about this matter? Please, General Zuo, do not mention it again; I have never heard of such a thing."

Wu Yi smiled awkwardly. He had been asking for an exorbitant price anyway, so he was going to say whether it would work out or not. There's always a price to ask and a bargain to negotiate in business!

Wu Yi spread his hands and chuckled, "Censor Chen told me to speak, but then rejected me. What can I possibly ask for? Can I ask for a high-ranking general title, or a governorship?"

Chen Zhi and Wu Yi exchanged glances, and Chen Zhi slowly spoke: "The Left General will be promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry, and further promoted to County Marquis. Alternatively, the Governor of Jingzhou will be promoted to Prefect of Jingzhou, and further promoted to County Marquis. Please choose one of the two."

Wu Yi's smile vanished, and he replied seriously, "Imperial Censor Chen, please don't joke. Would His Majesty really agree to such a thing?"

Chen Zhi nodded, his expression resolute: "His Majesty is determined to restore the Han Dynasty. How could he begrudge a few seals of office? If the Prime Minister can promote a general to the rank of general, why can't His Majesty? General, please do not doubt me."

Wu Yi glanced at Chen Zhi, then at Fei Yi, his gaze shifting between the two men several times. After a difficult decision, he gritted his teeth and said, "I choose General of Chariots and Cavalry, and the title of County Marquis must be granted to the county I reside in!"

Fei Yi interjected, "In the seventh year of Jianxing (221 AD), Chen Xiaoqi (Chen Zhen) went on a mission to Wu to congratulate Sun Quan on becoming emperor, and they agreed to divide the empire equally. Xuzhou, Yuzhou, Youzhou, and Qingzhou belonged to Wu, while Bingzhou, Liangzhou, Jizhou, and Yanzhou belonged to Han. General, your hometown is Jiyang County in Chenliu Commandery, which belongs to Yanzhou, so there is no problem in granting you a fief. If you were to be the county marquis, you would be the Marquis of Jiyang, wouldn't you agree?"

"It is indeed the Marquis of Jiyang!" Wu Yi nodded, but his heart was pounding rapidly in his chest.

Compared to the rampant granting of titles to officials in the Cao Wei and Sun Wu dynasties of the same era, the Shu Han dynasty was quite conservative in this regard. Those who did not achieve military merit were not granted titles, a system that was effectively implemented in the Shu Han court.

At this point in time, in the Shu Han state, only Wei Yan, who had just died, was a county marquis. Even Prime Minister Zhuge Liang's title was a township marquis. The titles of Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, and other former officials also only went up to township marquis. Most of the marquises were pavilion marquises... County marquis was already an extremely valuable title.

Seeing that Wu Yi agreed, and Fei Yi did not object, Chen Zhi nodded to Wu Yi: "Since we have reached an agreement with the general, then Fei Sima and I will head back now."

Wu Yi, however, was still not satisfied and repeatedly exclaimed, "Wait a moment, Imperial Censor Chen. My brother Yuanxiong is one with me. Please do not forget him when the court bestows rewards."

Chen Zhi, with a tactful mind, immediately spoke: "Since the general has been promoted, the position of Left General is vacant. How about we change the title of Rear General (Wu Ban) to Left General, and the title of Marquis of a Pavilion to Marquis of a Township? Is the general satisfied with this?"

Wu Yi nodded again: "Serving the country with utmost loyalty is our duty, and we have no choice but to do so!"

Chen Zhi took a deep breath and cupped his hands towards Wu Yi: "Alright, please come to the Prime Minister's residence tomorrow afternoon at Shenshi (3-5 PM). You need not worry about the rest. We will take our leave now."

Fei Yi also smiled and said, "Your Excellency's decisive and courageous decision today is a blessing for the nation!"

Wu Yi thought for a moment and said, "According to Lord Yang Wei's request, shouldn't you two go to my brother's camp? It would be best if I went with you."

"That's fine then," Fei Yi smiled. "Then I'll have to trouble you, My Lordship."

After Fei Yi and Chen Zhi went to Wu Ban's camp with Wu Yi, they returned to Mianyang City, and it was already close to evening.

Excluding Liu Yin who accompanied them throughout, when only Fei Yi and Chen Zhi were traveling together, Fei Yi never asked Chen Zhi how to fulfill his promise to Wu Yi and Wu Ban. Similarly, Chen Zhi never asked Fei Yi how to conspire with his colleagues in the Prime Minister's office, only telling Fei Yi that he could ask for his support at any time.

Once you've chosen a political partner, you must trust their judgment and methods. Moreover, Fei Yi's historical position and experiences in the original story are sufficient proof of his capabilities.

Often, when a person is confident enough in their ability to do something, their strong belief will lead those around them to also believe in their ability. This is how Fei Yi and Wu Yi came to believe in Chen Zhi.

Chen Zhi also had someone to rely on.

To be honest, Chen Zhi was Liu Shan's appointed envoy, and he was entitled to act according to circumstances and make decisions on Liu Shan's behalf.

On the other hand, Chen Zhi made political promises to Fei Yi and Wu Yi, inducing them to act in a way that benefited Liu Shan. This, in turn, gave Fei Yi and Wu Yi the expectation of promotion, and given their power and status, they would create momentum and force Liu Shan to accept the rewards bestowed upon them.

This is why Chen Zhi truly believed that the promise could be fulfilled.

Using a suitable pretext to gain both internal and external advantages is a common power tactic used throughout history and across cultures.

Even assuming the worst, in the original historical account, after Jiang Wan came to power, the Shu Han court almost immediately began a wave of indiscriminate bestowals. Wu Yi was granted the title of county marquis, Wu Ban was granted the title of county marquis, Jiang Wei was granted the title of county marquis, and even Ma Dai, who had killed Wei Yan, was able to become a county marquis through this wave of conferments…

Chen Zhi's promises to Wu Yi and Wu Ban already saved Liu Shan a lot of money, and they were all for Liu Shan's own benefit in gaining power!

There's no reason to refuse!

As night fell, Xu Yun, the former Protector-General, Lieutenant General, and Marquis of Hanchengting, also sailed down the Han River to Chenggu County on the north bank of the Han River, where Gao Xiang, the Right General and Marquis of Xuanxiang, stationed his troops.

Chenggu County is located in the eastern part of the central section of the Hanzhong Basin, downstream of Mianyang, the seat of the Prime Minister's Office, and Nanzheng, the seat of Hanzhong Prefecture.

Yang Yi ordered Xu Yun to go to Chisaka to find Gao Xiang, but Gao Xiang was not in Chisaka further downstream, but in Chenggu County. This was because Gao Xiang did not heed Yang Yi's order to go to Chisaka and stayed in a place closer to Mianyang.

Yang Yi also had to save face in front of his subordinates and colleagues! He couldn't possibly embarrass himself in public.

"Uncle Long, why did you come to my camp by yourself?" Gao Xiang heard his subordinates report that Xu Yun had arrived, so he hurriedly came out of the county government to greet him, wearing only an outer robe and dragging his shoes.

"General, how have you been?" Upon seeing Gao Xiang, Xu Yun immediately grasped Gao Xiang's forearm, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "I rushed here to tell you, General, that a great upheaval is about to occur in the Prime Minister's residence!"

With a calm expression, Gao Xiang waved away his personal guards and led Xu Yun into his bedroom. He also sent trusted soldiers to guard the door, forbidding anyone from entering.

Xu Yun then methodically recounted to Gao Xiang everything that had happened in Mianyang and at the Prime Minister's residence over the past few days.