Chapter 145: Employing people without suspicion
"When you live to be eighty..." Huang Quan repeated this sentence and then fell silent.
Even if there were all kinds of gossip and rumors circulating among Luoyang officials, they were limited to their own circles. Huang Quan was still an "outsider" after all, and he had only interacted more with Liu Ye in the past six months due to his position, so he had no channels to learn about these things.
"The late emperor said a few days before his death that Zhu Jianping's claim of a lifespan of eighty was actually just the division of day and night." Liu Ye looked at Huang Quan: "How dare I tell your majesty this in public?"
"There is also Zhou Xuan. The late emperor once asked Zhou Xuan to interpret a dream. In the dream, the late emperor saw a green gas rising from the ground to the sky. Zhou Xuan said to the late emperor, 'There must be a noble woman who died unjustly in the world.' At that time, the late emperor had just issued an edict to sentence Empress Wen Zhao to death. After hearing what Zhou Xuan said, he hurriedly ordered people to chase after her, but he failed in the end."
Liu Ye looked up into Huang Quan's eyes and said, "How can I tell your majesty, and how dare I tell you?"
Huang Quan was also speechless.
After a long while, Huang Quan asked Liu Ye, "Who told His Majesty what you and the others in the Secretariat said?"
"Humph," Liu Ye said with a look of disgust, "There were only five people in the Shangshutai that day, Chen Qun, Sima Yi, Chen Jiao, Wang Si and Wei Zhen."
"The two ministers asked me this on their own initiative, so they would not tell Your Majesty this. Wang Si is dying and Your Majesty has never summoned him. This is between Chen Jiao and Wei Zhen."
Huang Quan observed Liu Ye's expression: "Chen Jibi has always been at odds with Brother Ziyang..."
Liu Ye stood up from the table and straightened his robes: "I have my own plan for this matter, Gong Heng will take a look."
After saying this, Liu Ye walked out without stopping. Huang Quan was just asking him questions. Since he had said everything he needed to say, why should he stay here?
When Huang Quan saw that Liu Ye had left, he lay down on the couch with his clothes on, with many distracting thoughts in his mind.
Before he became a minister, he was originally given the title of General Zhennan, and the emperor never said that he would take away this title. But in Shouchun, the emperor publicly promised Jia Kui the title of General Zhennan.
Did the emperor forget about this? Or did he simply go to his general post, or did he have other appointments waiting for him?
As the night deepened, Huang Quan found it increasingly difficult to fall asleep. He had drunk a lot of wine, and the more he tossed and turned, the more thirsty he felt. He immediately stood up, put on his shoes, and went to the toilet to relieve himself. As the water flowed out and the bloating in his lower abdomen began to weaken, the evening breeze blew, and his whole body seemed to become clear.
Huang Quan inexplicably recalled that several years ago, when the news of Liu Bei's death reached Luoyang, all the officials of Wei State congratulated each other. At that time, the late Emperor Cao Pi sent an envoy to summon him. Before he left the house, the envoys on the road urged him to come one after another, and the servants in his mansion were scared out of their wits.
I forced myself to control my emotions and behave calmly. When the late emperor saw me, he just laughed and didn't do anything to me.
It's really hard to write two Cao characters with one stroke. Do rulers like to test people's hearts like this?
……
The trip to Qiao County ended quickly, and the emperor and his entourage continued to head north towards Chenliu County.
Just in the morning, when the emperor's troops were about to set off, several knights delivered a secret report from Luoyang.
Seeing the messenger coming, the Minister of the Central Secretariat Sun Zi went to take the secret report from the messenger. After asking a few simple questions about the situation, Sun Zi waved his hand to signal the messenger to withdraw, and turned back to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, this is the secret report received by the Inspector of the Imperial Guards." Sun Zi held up the letter containing the secret report with both hands and presented it to the emperor.
Cao Rui nodded, opened the sealing wax, took out the secret report, looked at it for a moment, nodded, and put the secret report back in.
Upon hearing that it was a secret report from Wei Zhen in Luoyang, the ministers who were serving beside him remained calm, but they all listened closely to get the details.
The ministers around the emperor are all shrewd people.
Now Wei Zhen is in charge of government affairs and all matters of the capital in Luoyang. The secret report that can reach the emperor in the morning must be a matter of vital importance.
Liu Ye and Huang Quan looked at each other briefly, and then their eyes separated.
The last urgent report from Wei Zhen in Luoyang was to inform the emperor about the rumors in the capital.
Liu Ye and Huang Quan had talked about this privately a long time ago. When they were still in Shouchun, there were rumors in Luoyang that His Majesty had died in the Huainan Army, and some people claimed that they wanted to support Cao Zhi, the Prince of Yongqiu, as the emperor. Although such remarks were funny, rumors about the emperor were still worth being vigilant about.
His Majesty has been on the throne for more than half a year. Although he has been kind and virtuous and has never killed or punished any ministers, the attendants who have been with the emperor for a long time do not think that the emperor is an easy target.
The emperor entrusted Wei Zhen with such an important task and sent Guanqiu Jian to lead the cavalry back to Luoyang to report the victory. Could it be that Wei Zhen started arresting people in Luoyang?
Although the ministers all looked calm, they had all kinds of thoughts in their hearts. Seeing that the ministers around him were all looking at him, Cao Rui smiled and said, "Zhang He of Mei County reported that in January, a local clan called Qu Ying in Xiping County rebelled. Zhang He has sent generals to quell the rebellion. I have nothing to worry about with Zhang He in Yongliang. Let's wait for Zhang He's victory report."
Cao Rui thought that this urgent news, which came in public, should be told to his ministers in order to avoid creating rifts with the close ministers around him.
All the ministers echoed this, saying that it was common for counties in Liangzhou to rebel, and with the emperor's majesty protecting them and capable generals in Yongliang, there would be no problems.
The team headed north, and Cao Rui summoned Xin Pi to ask him about what happened in Liangzhou that year.
Cao Rui turned to look at Xin Pi and asked, "Xin Qing, you and Su Ze have worked together before. What was the cause and effect of the rebellion in Xiping County in the first year of Huangchu?"
Xin Pi bowed on his horse and replied, "Your Majesty, the former Minister Su Ze was the governor of Jincheng at that time, and it was Su Ze who led the army to suppress the rebellion. Your Majesty just said that the man who rebelled in Xiping County this time was called Qu Ying, and the man who rebelled in Xiping County seven years ago was called Qu Yan. The surname Qu is not common, so it seems that the two should be from the same clan."
"People of the same clan." Cao Rui nodded and said, "Then how was Qu Yan's rebellion quelled?"
"I wonder if your Majesty is aware of this." Xin Pi said, "In the first year of Huangchu, Qu Yan rebelled not once, but twice."
"Twice?" Cao Rui frowned. "I really didn't notice this detail. How can there be two rebellions?"
Xin Pi explained carefully, "Your Majesty, Qu Yan's first rebellion was after the news of Emperor Wu's death reached Liang Province. At that time, Qu Yan claimed to be the Protector of the Qiang and rebelled, but he did not occupy the city. After Su Ze led his army to attack Qu Yan, Qu Yan was afraid of Su Ze and then surrendered, so he was not punished."
Cao Rui did not speak, and motioned Xin Pi to continue. When Emperor Wu Cao Cao died of illness in Luoyang, not to mention the remote Xiping County, even the Qingzhou and Xuzhou soldiers in Luoyang thought that the world would be in chaos, and they left on their own at the edge of Luoyang City. A little chaos in a place like Xiping where Qiang and Han people lived together was really nothing.
Xin Pi said: "After the previous emperor re-established the post of governor of Liangzhou, the three counties of Zhangye, Wuwei and Xiping were in chaos again. Su Ze and Guanqiu Xing and others worked together to quell the rebellion, and Su Ze took the opportunity to lure Qu Yan to death, and Liangzhou was temporarily stabilized."
"But less than a year after the rebellion was quelled, the Hexi counties were in chaos again. The late emperor sent General Cao Zhen to quell the rebellion, and he gained a lot." Xin Pi said, bending his fingers: "It has been more than five years since Liangzhou was pacified at the end of the second year of Huangchu."
Cao Rui asked, "Would it be considered good if Liangzhou could be kept stable for five years?"
"It would be great if we could maintain stability." Xin Pi looked at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I have a question for you. What is the situation of the rebellion in Xiping County?"
Some things can’t be said in public, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be said in private.
"Not very good." Cao Rui shook his head gently: "There are four counties in Xiping County. Since Zhang He sent the message, Linqiang and Xidu counties have been occupied by the rebels. The Linqiang magistrate and the Xidu chief have both died for their country."
Xinbi took a breath.
Xiping County was a county newly established by Emperor Wu Cao Cao during the Jian'an period, separated from the original Jincheng County. Its jurisdiction covered the entire Huangshui Valley. The two counties of Linqiang and Xidu, which were captured by the rebels, were located in the core of the Huangshui Valley.
After a long while, Xin Pi said, "Your Majesty, the rebellion in Xiping County must not be underestimated. Linqiang and Xidu counties are both prime areas. The Qiang Rebellion of the Western Han Dynasty started with the fight for the Huangshui Valley."
"I think the court needs to be prepared for the rebellion of the Qiang people in Liangzhou." Xin Pi said solemnly, "Your Majesty may wish to send an envoy to urge Zhang He to act cautiously in case the Liangzhou incident fails or the Qiang people in other places also rebel."
Cao Rui gently pulled the reins with his hand, and the imperial horse under his crotch also stopped its pace wisely. Seeing that the emperor stopped moving forward, the whole team also quickly stopped.
Cao Rui looked at Xin Pi and asked, "Who do you think should be sent to supervise Zhang He?"
"This..." Xin Pi shook his head: "I can't say for sure, but the affairs of Liangzhou are complicated. I am just afraid that another rebellion in Liangzhou will affect your majesty's plan."
"I think it's better not to send him," Cao Rui said, "unless the general is sent to Liang Province. Apart from the general, who else can know more about Liang Province than Zhang He? Who else can be more familiar with the battles in Liang Province than Zhang He?"
"I have carefully read all of Zhang He's military achievements." Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "In the 19th year of Jian'an, Xiahou Zhengxi led his generals to attack Song Jian. Song Jian was in Fuhan, and Fuhan was west of Lintao. After Song Jian's death, Xiahou Yuan sent Zhang He to lead the army to Xiaohuangzhong to pacify the Qiang tribes."
"Xin Qing," Cao Rui looked at Xin Pi, "If Zhang He can't handle this matter well, I really can't think of anyone else in the Wei Dynasty who can pacify this place."
Xin Pi bowed to the emperor on his horse and said, "Your Majesty is right. I was overthinking it. With Zhang He here, we will definitely be able to handle the affairs of Xiping County."
Cao Rui nodded, tapped the horse's belly with his foot, and then slowly started walking again: "If you employ someone, trust him. If you doubt him, don't employ him. Since I have appointed Zhang He as the governor of Yongliang, I completely trust Zhang He."
"Let's wait for news from Zhang He."
(End of this chapter)
