Chapter 256 Don't Call Me Lord! (4k)

"oops"

"Wenyou, when do you think I'll stop pretending to be sick?"

After sending the attendants away, Dong Zhuo, who was bedridden, threw away the bedding, sat on the head of the bed like nothing had happened, kicked off his shoes randomly, and looked at Li Ru worriedly.

"The general is like a different person. Even Master Yuan is no match for him."

"Before, I thought Xu Wenxiu was just famous for nothing."

"I never expected that he would have such ability. It seems that I underestimated the heroes in the world!"

Li Ru actually shook his head and said, "No, there may be another possibility."

"Oh? Please let Wenyou tell me."

"Xu Wenxiu is famous for his ability to judge the world's talents. Before this, I only heard of his fame, but never heard of his strategies worth mentioning. Recently, through spies, I found that when this person was working in the Shangshu Mansion, his handling of government affairs was mediocre and there was nothing praiseworthy. The general already held the military power in Luoyang, and Xu Wenxiu could not make a decision in time when planning for him. It would be fine if it happened once, but it would be more suspicious if it happened every time. I observed the vehicles going to and from Luoyang, and only the vehicles from Xuzhou were more frequent. Although the time intervals were not consistent, they were all before Xu Wenxiu made a decision. Xu Wenxiu also promoted the meritorious county magistrates in various places to county governors starting from Xuzhou."

"In order to verify my speculation, I deliberately asked someone to write a difficult question. Even though Xu Wenxiu tried to cover it up, I still found the clues."

"That's very likely the case."

Dong Zhuo asked, "What if this person is hiding his incompetence?"

"If he is hiding his incompetence." Li Ru shook his head and smiled, "I can only say that he is slow in intelligence. I am not afraid of him at all."

"Good!" Dong Zhuo clapped his hands and cheered. The worry on his face also faded a little, but he was still a little worried.
"Although Wenyou's doubts have been resolved, how can we overcome the difficulties ahead? When the late emperor passed away, you asked me to stay in Hedong County. Do you want me to stay in Xingyang now?"

"Haha, don't worry, my lord."

Li Ru laughed out loud, and this laughter was like a stimulant that calmed Dong Zhuo's panicked heart.

Under Dong Zhuo's expectant gaze, Li Ru continued, "Mingsir, He Jin has been suppressing Yuan's former officials in recent days, and even ordinary scholars have suffered. They are resentful of the general, but they remain silent because they are afraid of He Jin's army."

"However, the money required for both the Southern and Northern armies was staggering, but He Jin cut spending and even began to focus on the livelihood of the people, which was a sign of cutting off his own arm."

"I have a close friend in the palace. I asked him to write a letter to He Jin to reduce the land rent, head rent and tax."

"And the power to evaluate the talents of the world will be taken back to the court, and the evaluations of the localities will not count."

"The prestige of the imperial court in Luoyang still exists, but He Jin offended the scholars. It just so happens that the scholars are the ones who work for the imperial court. There are many who secretly disobey the imperial court, and it is not uncommon to see those who enrich themselves."

"As for the areas outside Luoyang, the gentry are the ones who occupy the land. If the taxes paid to the court are reduced, the gentry will benefit. The situation of the common people will not improve, and may even get worse. Taking back the power of evaluation will touch the foundation of the gentry. This will not only cause resentment among the people, but also anger the gentry."

"We can take this opportunity to win over the scholars and send a letter to Yuan Shao who has fled to Jizhou, saying in the letter that we had no choice but to fight in Beimang Mountain. The purpose is to gain the trust of the general. When the time is right, we are willing to kill the traitor He for the world!"

Dong Zhuo was stunned for a long time after listening to Li Ru's words. He couldn't help but burst into laughter, and his beard was moving with laughter.

"Hahaha, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! This way, great things can be accomplished!"

"Mingsir, Ru wants to recommend someone to you. If this person takes action, the chances of success will be greatly increased."

"oh?!"

Dong Zhuo's eyes lit up. His son-in-law really surprised him in every way. He hurriedly urged
"Wenyou, what's this person's name? And where is he?!"

"This man's surname is Li and his name is Su. He is at the gate of the mansion."

After receiving Li Ru's answer, Dong Zhuo immediately summoned his personal guards and ordered him to invite the talented person who had been waiting at the gate of the mansion for a long time.

Soon after, a man wearing a green robe, with a sword on his waist and a simple face came to Dong Zhuo and Li Ru. He clasped his fists and said:

"Su, I'm here to meet you, Mr. Ming, and Mr. Li."

"Oh, don't be so polite, don't be so polite."

Dong Zhuo ignored the thin clothes on his body and hurriedly helped Li Su up.

This moved Li Su quite a lot. He was a garrison commander under Dong Zhuo, originally from Bingzhou, and was promoted for his military merits during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Dong Zhuo was kind to his soldiers, and Li Su, who had received Dong Zhuo's favor, naturally liked this kind of show of respect for the wise and humble. He also knew that Dong Zhuo would not treat meritorious people unfairly. If he could help Dong Zhuo solve his problems, wouldn't he be able to become one of Dong Zhuo's high-ranking officials?

"I wonder what trick Captain Li has?"

Dong Zhuo's voice brought Li Su back to reality. Li Su clasped his fists and said, "Reporting to you, my lord, I have a fellow countryman who is a personal guard of Zhang Zhang, a general under the general. Since the battle at Beimang Mountain, the general has valued Wu Kuang and neglected Zhang Zhang. After Zhang Zhang got drunk, he often spoke angry words. I am willing to be a lobbyist for you, to sow discord between Zhang Zhang and Wu Kuang, so that the two of them will fight, thereby weakening the general. I can even get a chance to assassinate the general."

Dong Zhuo looked at Li Ru, and Li Ru nodded.

"Okay!" Dong Zhuo slapped his thigh fiercely and asked, "I wonder what you need."

Li Su bowed and said, "I need two thousand taels of gold and silver."

"Two thousand taels is nothing." Dong Zhuo nodded, "I agree!"

Nangong
At the court meeting, the young emperor sat upright, looking timidly at General He Jin, the head of all officials, as if he wished he could bury his gaze in the ground.

As for the Empress Dowager He, who had been "ruling the country from behind the curtain", there was no trace of her at this time. It was said that she was frightened and became ill when Yuan Shao broke into the palace.

As soon as I arrived at the front hall of Yuntai, my hands couldn't stop shaking.

Even the most famous doctor in Luoyang shook his head and sighed after seeing the problem, unable to find any solution.

Therefore, all state affairs fell on the shoulders of General He Jin.

He Jin expressed his own opinions and determined the policies of reducing taxes, recuperating and resting the economy, and withdrawing evaluations. All the ministers were silent and no one dared to object.

This made He Jin very proud, and of course he did not forget to seek Xu Jing's advice.

Seeing He Jin's inquiring gaze towards him, Xu Jing thought to himself, I haven't received any news from Yuan Long recently, so it should be okay, right? Aren't all the things he did good things?

So Xu Jing nodded slightly.

The subsequent court meetings went smoothly without any other accidents. All the policies proposed by He Jin were passed one by one. The young emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief and could not wait to order someone to announce the "dismissal of the court."

Most of the ministers who walked out of the front hall of Yuntai were silent. They were clearly walking away, but it gave people the illusion that they were speeding.

He Jin and Xu Jing walk side by side
Xu Jing asked: "General, why did you choose to write a letter on behalf of that person?"

Hearing this, He Jin laughed out loud, "Didn't the heroes before, Ban or Wen Xiu, also pay attention to the livelihood of the people? Thank you three, this made me realize that I was just a butcher, and I was lucky to enjoy wealth and glory. No matter what I do, I can't get the recognition of the gentry. It's better to let the people benefit."

"Wen Xiu, do you think it is or is not?!"

"That's true."

Many days of hard work turned into full achievement and pride at this moment. Xu Jing's face was filled with a heartfelt smile. Is he now a little closer to his lord?

This smile surprised He Jin. He teased, "Is Wen Xiu planning to take a concubine? Which girl has he taken a fancy to?"

The sudden greeting almost made Xu Jing spit out saliva.

Seeing Xu Jing's reaction, He Jin was even happier, but he immediately added: "Just kidding, just kidding."

The two chatted as they walked out of the palace and parted at the end of an alley in Luoyang.

As soon as Xu Jing left, He Jin's personal guards came to report, "Report—General!"

"Why are you so flustered?" He Jin frowned.

The guard lowered his head and told everything, "Reporting to the general, someone came to report that a few months ago, he saw Xu Jing visiting Liu Xuande and they had a very pleasant conversation!"

The general's dislike for Liu Xuande did not happen overnight.

The personal guards following He Jin knew this very well, so when he told this matter, he did not dare to look at He Jin's face.

The angry general
It’s scary just thinking about it!

However, to his surprise, He Jin responded softly, "I understand."

?

How is this going?

The guard raised his head and saw a calm face.

What was even more surprising was that He Jin lowered his eyebrows and sighed, "I misunderstood Liu Xuande. If it weren't for him, I'm afraid that something would happen that would make the relatives sad and the enemies happy. Do you think I should apologize to Liu Xuande?"

The guards didn't know how to respond to these words, so they could only lower their heads and remain silent.

"Forget it," He Jin shook his head, strode away, and said, "Prove it with your actions."

On the other side, as soon as Xu Jing stepped into the mansion, he saw servants rushing forward.

"Master, a distinguished guest is here to visit!"

"Dear guest?" Xu Jing was slightly startled, then he immediately reacted and urged, "Where is the distinguished guest? Come on, lead the way!"

When Xu Jing arrived at the guesthouse, he spotted the man sitting on the chair at a glance. His pupils shrank. He was Chen Deng's assassin. He would not risk his life to see him unless it was absolutely necessary!
As for the purpose of coming
Suddenly he thought of what happened in the court today, his face turned pale, and he smiled bitterly.

“It’s too late.”

Jingzhou
Gangneung
"Lord!"

"Uncle Emperor!"

Two calls, one from the front and the other from the back, brought Liu Bei's thoughts back to the present. He looked up and saw Wu Ban and Liu Xie standing in front of him. At this moment, they were wearing robes and looked full of energy, without any of the haggardness and embarrassment they had when they first met.

"Ban, Your Highness."

Liu Bei opened his mouth, and as soon as he blurted out "Your Highness", Liu Xie became unhappy, "Uncle, how can you be so distant even to me? Just call me Xie."

Liu Bei laughed dumbly and immediately surrendered. "Okay, okay, Xie, how have you been getting along in Jiangling these days? Are you used to it?"

Wu Ban nodded and said, "My lord, I have come all the way from Luoyang, and the scenery in Jingzhou is the best."

"It's just that I've been doing nothing these days, and I'm really upset."

Liu Xie raised his hand and agreed, "Me too."

"I see. I understand." Liu Bei nodded. He looked at Xu Shu standing beside him and asked, "Yuanzhi, do you have any vacancies in the prefectures?"

Xu Shu smiled and said, "We are still short of a military officer. A military officer is responsible for military affairs and equipment. Only a capable person like General Wu can take on this position."

"Ban, what do you think?" Liu Bei asked.

Wu Ban had followed Wu Kuang in the army since he was a child, so he naturally understood the importance of being in charge of military affairs and military equipment. Basically, only his close confidants could be in charge of this position, but this was not what he wanted.

He clasped his fists and said, "My lord, I am still inexperienced and need more experience. I am willing to be a junior general in the army and fight against the bandits for you!"

"This"

Seeing Wu Ban's insistence, Liu Bei had to back down and sighed, "In that case, I will appoint you as a fake lieutenant and command a hundred men."

"Thank you, my lord." Wu Ban clasped his fists and thanked.

Liu Xie came up to Liu Bei and imitated Wu Ban's fist-clasping gesture, "Uncle, I am willing to be your subordinate and fight against the bandits for you!"

After saying this, he tried to open his eyes, as if to say, Uncle, how many troops can you give me?

This made the three people present couldn't help laughing, even the usually serious Wu Ban laughed out loud.

Liu Bei cleared his throat, suppressed his laughter, half-knelt down, and put his big hand on Liu Xie's shoulder.

"Xie, leading troops in battle requires a foundation of knowledge. Don't look at Yi De's poetry and couplets. He has put in a lot of effort. It's not something that can be achieved overnight."

Speaking of Zhang Fei's poetry, even Liu Bei couldn't help but look strange. Fortunately, in Liu Xie's eyes, Zhang Fei's example was very convincing. Liu Xie nodded a little disappointed, but he quickly recovered and asked
"Uncle, then which great scholar should I follow to study?"

Liu Bei thought for a moment, looked at Xu Shu with some uncertainty, and said hesitantly:
"Why not let Xie go to Xiangyang No. 1 Primary School to study?"

Xu Shu nodded, "But your highness should keep his real name secret, why not change his name to ."

As soon as he heard that he was going to change his name to Liu Xie, he became interested. He looked at Xu Shu eagerly. Xu Shu had no choice but to stop talking and asked:
"I wonder what your Highness thinks?"

Liu Xie pointed at the book on the table and said excitedly

"Uncle, military advisor, General Wu, how about calling him Zhuge Xie?"

"no!"

The three of them rejected the name in unison. Prime Minister Zhuge was right there, so it would be too unsafe to use the name Zhuge.

Xu Shu tried to smooth things over, saying, "Why not change your name but not your surname? How about calling yourself Liu Li?"

"Military Advisor, come with me."

Liu Bei pulled Xu Shu aside and said, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? What if Xiaozhi and Shiyuan find out?"

"Don't worry, my lord. If you try to hide it, it might be easier to expose the truth. It's better to say frankly that he is your distant relative. Who would have thought that this man is Wang Xie of Chenliu?"

"." Liu Bei thought for a moment and nodded, "Then let's do it."

After the two finished their conversation, Liu Bei looked at Liu Xie and asked with a smile:

"Xie, what do you think?"

Liu Xie looked at Wu Ban, then at Liu Bei, as if he had made a decision. He clasped his fists towards Liu Bei.
"My Lord, I feel very good!"

"."

Liu Bei's face turned black

"Don't call me Lord!"

　Two in one again

　
(End of this chapter)