Three Kingdoms

Xu County.

In the main hall.

The colors of the big man are red and black.

These two colors are certainly solemn, but if used too much, they become solemn and solemn. Of course, there is nothing wrong with it in a place like the main hall where the majesty of the emperor is to be displayed, but for the people in the main hall, it seems There are some people who, no matter what, are unable to become harmonious between the monarch and his ministers, and the level of sincerity and sincerity seems to be limited to official business and the courtesy of the monarch and his ministers.

Liu Xie also knew that if he wanted to talk about some private words, it would not be appropriate to do so in the main hall.

After all, there are ears around the main hall.

However, if Liu Ye is forced to go to other places, such as on a high platform, to avoid the eyes and ears, on the one hand, Liu Xie feels that it is not necessary, and on the other hand, Liu Ye may not be willing.

It's not that Liu Ye is disloyal, but there is no need to alert the enemy, or that he inexplicably arouses the suspicion of fellow student Lao Cao.

If he didn't say anything important, and Cao Cao thought that the two of them were conspiring, then it would really be more of a loss than a gain. It would be better to stay in the main hall, and even if the words were passed on to the surrounding ears, it wouldn't be a problem.

Because what Liu Xie and Liu Ye were talking about at the moment was not about Cao Cao, but about Kong Rong...

"Your Majesty..." A civil servant reported outside the palace, "Your Majesty, the Yushi doctor led troops to break into the Kong family's residence in the state of Lu and captured Kong Wenju. His son wanted to go and resisted arrest, but was killed on the spot..."

When Liu Xie heard this, he immediately wanted to stand up, with a look of shock on his face, but after a moment, Liu Xie closed his eyes again, calmed his breathing, and said, "I know." 』

After waiting for the civil servants to leave, Liu Xie turned to Liu Ye and said, "Has Aiqing heard about this before?" 』

"Did Kong Wenju do something illegal?" Liu Ye replied, "I have heard a little bit about it." 』

Liu Xie frowned.

Liu Xie asked about Kong Rong's arrest, and Liu Ye answered about Kong Rong's guilt. Obviously, some bullshit was wrong.

"The imperial censor is arresting..." Liu Xie said slowly, as if every word was circling in his heart before he said it, "I just have a little feeling. In the past, Kong Wenju was in the palace, and he was so full of emotion. Worrying about the country and its people, but now we are in prison..."

After hearing this, Liu Ye smiled and said, "Your Majesty, times have changed, and this is the case." 』

"Times have changed? Liu Xie didn't expect to hear such a comment from Liu Ye. What does this mean?

Should we look forward and not focus on the past?

Or is it that Kong Rong has changed and is no longer a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty? So who are the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty? Are you worried?

Or does it mean that I have missed the best opportunity? Times have changed now? Or are you saying that there are still some opportunities, and it will be over if time passes?

The more Liu Xie thought about it, the more confused his thoughts became and the more he wrinkled his brows.

Liu Ye raised his head slightly and glanced, "Since Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven and has the virtues of heaven and earth, how can you be pitiful in one place and forget all the people in the world?" 』

Liu Xie hummed, "Ai Qing, are you saying that I am addicted to the afterglow of my old love?" 』

Liu Ye said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is a God-given destiny, and you should bear the heart of heaven and earth." The heart of heaven and earth is the unkindness of saints. When there is unkindness, there is benevolence. 』

Liu Xie's brows furrowed more and more, as if a knife had been cut between his brows, "What Aiqing said...I was a little confused after what I heard." Please also ask Aiqing for advice. 』

Liu Xie said it very politely, because he can only be polite now.

Liu Ye bowed his hands and saluted: "Your Majesty's words are serious." I only talk nonsense and dare not teach you. If Your Majesty is willing to listen to the lies of the humble minister, then the humble minister will speak out boldly. 』

"please. ”Liu Xie nodded, “I love you but it’s okay to say so.” 』

"Heaven and earth nurture all things, but why are tigers and wolves eating cattle and sheep?" Or is it to prevent cattle and sheep from eating green crops? Liu Ye said slowly, "Tiger and leopards are born of heaven and earth, and so are cattle, sheep and green crops. They are born of heaven and earth. They are neither noble nor cheap, and each has its own place." Since Your Majesty is a man of destiny, you should regard the world as yours, how can you show mercy to a cattle, sheep, tiger and leopard? 』

"Well..." Liu Xie was speechless for a moment.

Liu Ye did not continue. Of course, Liu Ye also had some courage to tell Liu Xie these things.

Sometimes, Liu Ye himself is in trouble.

No one wants to betray the emperor, but the problem is that this is the reality.

Since Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty lost his control over the local area, the emperor of the Han Dynasty is no longer the emperor during the period of Emperor Xiaowu...

In other words, ever since Liu Xiuzai married Bai Fumei and took advantage of local powerful people to do business, the man was no longer his original shape.

So can you blame Liu Xie?

Can you blame Liu Ye?

All living beings need to struggle on their own in order to survive in this world...

This is true for cattle and sheep, as well as for tigers and leopards, and of course humans are no exception.

Cao Cao raised his butcher knife in Xu County. Under the bloody storm, not only the gentry children were greatly frightened, but the emperor Liu Xie felt threatened. Even Liu Ye and others who originally supported Cao Cao could not help but feel a little bit in their hearts. Didigu. After all, if you follow a boss who kills without blinking an eye, you must either have a big heart, or you must have a strategy to save your own life, and at the same time, you must think about your retreat in case something unexpected happens...

Fortunately, Cao Cao did not indulge in killing. It is said that he also let go of the arrested informants placed by General Hussars in Hebei. This somewhat relieved Liu Ye and others. As long as Lao Cao is not crazy yet and can be reasonable, that's fine. So the key issue now is that everyone should be reasonable and don't flip the table over, then that's fine.

This table is already in pieces and cannot withstand being lifted a few more times. No, it may even fall apart if it is lifted again.

Liu Ye specially came to see the emperor Liu Xie after learning about Xi Lu's dispatch, hoping to comfort the emperor as soon as possible, calm down, calm down, it is wrong to overturn the table, overturning the table is not good for everyone...

As for Kong Rong, isn't he going to be escorted to Xu County? It won't be too late to make a judgment then.

Liu Xie thought for a long time and finally nodded silently.

……(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻……

While Liu Xie was thinking about Kong Rong, at Cui Yan's residence, Li Cheng, under the eager guidance of the steward, walked through the cloister and went straight into the inner courtyard. When they arrived at the inner courtyard, they were followed by two maids and entered the study room in the inner courtyard amid the fragrant breeze.

Although it is late spring and early summer, the night is still a bit cool. In the study room in the inner courtyard, a heater is set up and agarwood is lit, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

In the study room of the inner courtyard, Cui Yan was holding a book and reading. When he saw the sound of footsteps, he put down the bamboo slips in his hand. Amidst the soft sound of bamboo wood, he turned his wrist slightly and said, "Brother Li Xian is here?" Please sit down as if you are at home and don't see anyone else. 』

Although Cui Yan spoke politely and kindly, Li Cheng still saluted respectfully, "I've seen the envoy before and disturbed the envoy for no reason. I'm rude." I have some troublesome matters in Jizhou, and I know that your Majesty is busy with affairs, so I have never dared to come over to disturb you. Now I really can’t figure it out, so I came to disturb you, and I hope that your Majesty will forgive me..."

Cui Yan's eyebrows moved, knowing that this was Li Cheng expressing some dissatisfaction, so he smiled and said: "Nothing important can compare to nostalgia." As for the trivial matters of the county, haha, who has the power to solve the current situation without any flaw? You are just fulfilling some responsibilities, how dare you say that you are busy? The reason why I didn't greet my brother when he came was really because I was old and had some blood discord in the morning and dusk, and my legs and feet were stiff and it was difficult to walk. It wasn't because I meant to be rude... By the way, I don't know where I am now. Office? 』

Li Cheng lowered his head and said, "I don't have a job yet..."

Cui Yan pretended to be surprised, "What do you mean?" A good brother and a great talent, but he is not allowed to be an official? When the imperial court was waiting for someone to hire someone, it unexpectedly missed the countryside. Someone must write a letter to report this matter, so that the virtuous brother can show his talents. 』

Li Cheng cupped his hands and said, "How dare you trouble your envoy with the light of a mere firefly?" It is my great fortune to meet you today. 』

The two looked at each other and laughed after a moment. The slightly polite atmosphere before gradually became peaceful.

Li Cheng cupped his hands and said, "Brother Cui... Zhongmou Pan is usually cautious, but for some reason he hated Xun Lingjun and sent his minions to arrest him. Everyone in the family, young and old, was either harmed or arrested... In Ye City, Chen Changwen avoided talking... …These days, I am just busy working on this matter to see if I can save something. 』

When Cui Yan heard this, he slowly shook his head and sighed: "This matter is of great importance, even Brother Yu must avoid it." Listen to my brother's advice, don't get involved in this matter... My dear brother is still young, and his future is limitless... Don't be rough, it will be ruined in one moment..."

Li Cheng frowned. Now that Cui Yan has benefited from Cao Cao, of course he will not fall out with Cao Cao immediately, but the problem is that if the benefits Cui Yan gets are stained with the blood of the Jizhou nobles, then if the Cui family wants to claim to be the leader of Jizhou, then What a joke. Things are urgent now, so there is no need to go around in circles. I am here today just to tell Cui Yan what kind of situation Jizhou has reached!

Li Cheng bowed his hands again and said, "Brother Cui, please give me some advice... I also wanted to surrender to the imperial court and serve the country, but due to the constant party disputes between the DPRK and China and the arrogance, I also had doubts in my heart, so I did not dare to get involved easily. In. Now that the emperor is growing older, as a great citizen, we should also serve the country..."

Cui Yan shook his head again and his face darkened, "This matter cannot be discussed simply." My dear brother, what you said is really reckless. 』

Li Cheng was silent for a moment, and it seemed that the harmonious atmosphere had quietly dissipated.

The two were silent for a while, then Li Cheng said goodbye, but Cui Yan did not see him off.

Seeing that Li Cheng walked away in anger, Cui Yan couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart. No matter how secretive he was, he couldn't hide in the eyes of others!

When Cao Cao pulled Cui Yan out of Jizhou, he made it clear that he was wary of Cui Yan's network in Jizhou. Cui Yan withdrew, on the one hand, to gain benefits, and on the other hand, he did not want to be tough with his classmate Lao Cao.

Cui Yan never wanted to fight anyone.

This was true during Yuan Shao's time, and it was also true during Cao Cao's time.

As long as the conditions are negotiated, anyone's shape can be accepted.

The Cui family is the Cui family of Jizhou, but in the final analysis, it is the Cui family of all ages. If Lao Cao wants to overthrow the Cui family, then even if Cui Yan lives outside Jizhou, he must take action, and now he only overthrows the Pan family in Zhongmou...

Do you want Mrs. Cui to risk her own dinner table and then help Pan's table?

It's obviously impossible.

Under the candlelight in the study, Cui Yan looked sadly at the bronze mirror standing on one side. In the bronze mirror, although it was a bit dull, he could also see that his hair on the temples was stained with frost, and he was indeed old. But in the blink of an eye, Cui Yan's eyebrows lit up. How could he be without power for a day in this world? The struggle between the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty has always been extremely fierce. It is like a military formation, with troops arranged in formation and various temptations. If someone is underestimated and finds a weak point, he will be immediately destroyed like the Pan family in Zhongmou. !

Although Cui Yan rejected Li Cheng, Cui Yan would not allow others to easily overthrow the Cui family and Jizhou as a whole...

Cao Cao, what a good trick!

It's a pity that Li Cheng was still a bit short-sighted. He just stared at the table eucalyptus in Zhongmu, which was closer to Jizhou, being overturned, but he didn't notice that the table eucalyptus of the Kong family in Lu State was also overturned...

If people from Jizhou say good things to people from Zhongmou, it means they have lost their right to speak in the affairs of Lu. If both sides have to be managed, then neither side will be able to be managed. And if it was for the Kong family, the people in Jizhou were obviously not so eager for justice.

Therefore, Cui Yan can be sure that even if Pan's table can be supported, it is not worth supporting.

What I have to do now is not to protect the Pan family in Zhongmou. It is just a local surname. If it dies, it means death. On the contrary, the Kong family in Lu State is a popular surname. If I take this opportunity...

You cannot lift your own table, but you can still lift the table of others.

……┴─┴︵╰（‵□′╰）……

Chang'an.

Pang Tong put his hands in his hands, like a moving black koala, and slowly entered the palace of the Hussars General.

After not exercising for a long time, you will inevitably feel some muscle soreness when you first start exercising.

So sour and refreshing...

My flesh trembles every time I move.

And this is not just a matter of a day or two, you have to persist.

"Huh..." Pang Tong moved and entered the hall, then sat down and took a breath.

Fei Qian glanced at it, laughed, and did not tease Pang Tong about this matter. Instead, he asked: "I heard that Hu Shang has been actively raising donations in the past two days. What's going on?" 』

Pang Tong cupped his hands and said, "I was about to talk about this." The spring days are getting warmer, the roads are thawing, and there are more merchants coming and going. There are also some Hu merchants from the Western Regions who want to raise funds to seek official positions. I don’t know where they heard the news... It is said that someone said that the Zhen family’s daughter donated an official position, so she I want to imitate...』

While talking, Pang Tong presented the records on this matter.

After Fei Qian took a quick look, there was a bit of surprise on his face: "These merchants are really extraordinary... Tsk tsk, with this kind of money, it seems that you and I still underestimated these Hu merchants before..."

Pang Tong nodded.

Fei Qian didn't recognize any of the dozen or so names recorded in this file, but the amount of donations written down in black and white on the paper surprised Fei Qian somewhat. Fundraising? It's really like Zhen Mi, who spends most of his family's wealth in one go. After all, he is still a minority. And most businessmen basically don't raise more than one-tenth of their real assets, or even twenty. It’s less than one percent. From this, how much are these Hu businessmen worth?

Tsk tsk.

However, those who come to discuss fundraising matters with Fei Qian are often agents, not the real people of these extremely wealthy countries.

The most donations raised are naturally gold and silver.

Other commodities are also available, such as cloth, spices, jewelry, cattle, sheep, camels, etc.

Fei Qian laughed and said, "Do these guys think I'm like that person, selling my official position?" If Xiaoling was alive at that time and knew that the Hu merchants in the Western Regions were like this... why should the Xiqiang be conquered? Ha ha……"

Pang Tong also smiled and said, "What my lord said is true." This noble nobleman of the country is admired by everyone, like the stars and the moon hanging high in the sky, which is naturally rare. Merchants love profit, and if they invest their money, they want to get it back a hundred times. If there is no profit, how can they be respectful to others? 』

Fei Qian nodded, "Even if you donate an official position, you can't be given a real job. It's just a false title without taking the test... Just like the Zhen family's daughter, she first evaluates her ability and tries out one or two fake jobs before she is awarded the title of Zhiyin Supervisor." Officials, there is no way to achieve success overnight... Are these Hu businessmen willing to take such idle positions and empty titles? 』

Pang Tong smiled and nodded at the donated items in the booklet and said, "Look, my lord, are there many jade, jewelry, gold and silver utensils among the items donated by Hu merchants?" 』

"Um? Fei Qian looked at it and found that it was indeed the case. He thought for a moment and said, "I see... this calculation is quite clever..."

After being unified by Pang, Fei Qian finally understood that in fact, these Hu businessmen's fundraising actually had multiple layers of calculations. The first was a superficial show of goodwill and submission, an act of paying tribute and accepting donations. And behind this donation, there is actually a marketing approach.

This kind of marketing method was actually very common in later generations, but Fei slightly forgot about it after diving into the present. After being pointed out by Pang Tongyi, he thought about it again...

At present, the Han Dynasty does not classify the races, and there are no additional restrictions on the Hu people. However, over the past three or four hundred years, although the atmosphere is open and the attitude of tolerance towards the foreigners from all over the world is relatively low, they even look down on the Hu people. The barbarians are barbarians, which is also a very common phenomenon.

Of course, the most important thing for these Hu merchants from the Western Regions to travel to and from China is to seek profit, not to seek official positions.

This is the essential difference between Hu people and Han people.

The Hu people came all the way to China. Although they could not be said to be uninterested in Chinese official positions, the roots of the Hu people's merchants were still in foreign countries, and what they wanted more was still profits.

So, the donations made by the barbarian merchants were just to get more profits.

Profit from goods.

The goods brought to China by Hu merchants were of course products from the Western Regions, Parthia, or Western Europe. Among them, gold and silver utensils, jade treasures and other goods were of relatively high value. However, although the value of this type of goods is relatively high, the price is indeed very high and fluctuates greatly. Just like if the price of gold and silver vessels is calculated based on the purity and weight of the gold and silver itself, it will be a blood loss, and the same is true for other jade treasures.

Fei Qian's previous business with these Hu merchants focused on ores, raw materials, and slave trade. He was not very interested in these commodities with relatively high value but even more inflated prices, so naturally these Hu merchants were very interested. I feel depressed and have no strength.

Now, Hu Shang wanted to take advantage of such an opportunity. On the surface, it was a donation, but in fact, he wanted to determine the price of these gold and silver utensils, jade and jewelry. As long as Fei Qian is willing to accept such a donation, it is equivalent to accepting the price represented by these things, and these donated things cannot be used up by Fei Qian alone, so normally, Fei Qian These things will also be rewarded to other officials, gentry, and squire children, etc. Under such circumstances, other officials, gentry, and squire children will naturally follow this "recognized" price.

"Tsk..." Fei Qian sighed, "What a good calculation..."

Pang Tong said with a smile: "It's better to accept the things, but at this price..."

If he hadn't seen through it, he would have been tricked by the Hu businessmen. Now that he has figured this out, of course he can't follow these Hu businessmen.

Fei Qian stroked his beard, thought about it, and smiled, "I have a better idea..."