Chapter 9 3. Kong Rong made a "big trick"

Under the shade of dense green shadows, the main hall of the Shangshutai Mansion Office looks unusually cool and pleasant. Xun Yu has been crouching at his desk since morning, reviewing all kinds of documents from the court, and he is so busy that he can't even breathe.In the official system of this dynasty, the Shangshuling he served was the head of the inner court officials, and his status was extremely prominent-"With all the opportunities, he is in charge of power".On weekdays, don't talk about those high-ranking officials in the Han court. Even Cao Cao, as the prime minister, should listen to his opinions attentively and respectfully when he is making decisions.

However, although Xun Yu is in a high position and holds a lot of power, he is extremely frugal, honest and honest.Cao Cao once led the ministers of the Han Dynasty 18 times to jointly petition the emperor to ask Jin to confer Xun Yu the title of "Three Lords", but he refused all of them.However, Xun Yu himself is modest, self-motivated, and indifferent to famous nobles, but he treats the wise and talented people in the government and the public as his family and loves him as his life, and spares no effort to promote them, just as Cao Cao sincerely praised "Xun Lingjun's goodness, if you don't make progress, you will never stop." .In this dynasty, Zhong Yao, captain of the Sili school, Xi Li, the imperial official, Hua Xin, the secretary of the official department, Wang Lang, the advisor, and Guo Jia, a strategist, were all distinguished by Xun Yu's insight and promoted to high positions.Cao Cao personally wrote a plaque with sixteen gold characters "Benevolence establishes morality, enlightenment promotes the virtuous, righteousness inspires the people, wisdom helps the world" and presented it to Xun Yu, and praised him as "a sage through the ages, a peerless Confucianist".

At this moment, although the air in the main hall of the Shangshutai was chilly, when Xun Yu leaned over his desk to read the text, his forehead was already sweating slightly.He felt that he was indeed a little tired, so he stretched his waist, stood up from the couch, and prepared to take a walk on the boulevard outside the hall to relax. At this moment, there was a sound of light footsteps at the gate of the palace.Xun Yu looked up and saw that it was Yilang Zhao Yan who had just returned from His Majesty's palace, holding a stack of memorials reviewed by Emperor Xian, standing there, ready to bow to him.Zhao Yan is the special envoy sent by the Imperial Palace to Shangshutai, who is responsible for the transmission of documents and memorials between the imperial palace and Shangshutai.Of course, Zhao Yan was able to serve as this special envoy, and it was also recommended by Xun Yukan on the basis of his loyalty and prudence.

"Sit! Sit! Let's rest for a while before we talk!" Xun Yu pointed to a couch on the left side of his desk, and told him to sit down first, "Choose a few memorials that His Majesty is most concerned about here and tell me Sit and listen." Zhao Yan hastily thanked him, picked up a pottery pot placed beside the couch, drank a few gulps of cold water, moistened his throat, and then said: "About the Prime Minister's Mansion planning to transfer the farmers and farmers from all states in the Central Plains to The "client"'s land rent, tax and grain payment, from five tenths to six tenths, His Majesty was a little puzzled, so he asked Lord Lingjun: Now that Yuan Shao has been destroyed, the Central Plains has been settled, and the people of the world have nothing to do. It’s not as good as getting rain after a long drought. I’m looking forward to relieving myself from the heat and recuperating—and the prime minister is eager to increase the amount of tax and food. Isn’t it a burden for the common people? Over the past few years, the common people’s tax has reached five tenths. It is already exhausted; if it increases to six-tenths, how can the people suffer?"

"Well...Your Majesty is really a benevolent king! You can never forget the hardships of people's livelihood, and your benevolence and kind words are very touching!" Xun Yu nodded slowly, and said in a slow voice, "I have made a note of this matter. Let’s add an explanation. What else does Your Majesty think about the other memorials?” Zhao Yan said again: "Prime Minister Cao asked His Majesty to issue a decree to ban alcohol. His Majesty originally agreed, thinking that the prime minister's prohibition of alcohol meant saving military rations and avoiding wasting food by brewing. At the same time, Your Majesty also has another understanding. Prime Minister Cao Prohibition of alcohol is to accumulate grain, and grain accumulation is to prepare for war. He asked his subordinates to ask Lord Lingjun: The three thieves Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Lu Bu have been wiped out, and there is no serious trouble in Kansai. Prime Minister Cao is still anxious to accumulate grain to raise troops, but wants to Where do you refer to? Are you going to launch an attack on the Jingzhou Mu Liu Biao, Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang and other clans?"

"This..." Xun Yu couldn't help but froze when he heard the words, "I believe that Prime Minister Cao's request to the court to issue a ban on alcohol must be an old-fashioned way to seek the country. Prime Minister Cao is clarifying the administration of officials and cultivating morality with frugality. Also, I have decided not to implement the statement proposed by the Prime Minister’s Mansion to increase the land tax and grain payment of the common people to six-tenths. If there is any objection, I will go to explain it to calm down. What do you think, Mr. Zhao?"

"Zhao is just conveying the words of His Majesty's inquiry according to the facts, and I have no other opinion. However, in terms of rejecting the statement that the Prime Minister's Mansion raised the common people's land tax and grain payment, Zhao believes that the Lord Lingjun's "guiding the emperor with benevolence, It can be said that the wind of sages and sages has been born by the common people!" Zhao Yangong said respectfully, but a strange light suddenly flashed in his eyes, "However, please forgive Zhao for speaking bluntly, you have not directly answered His Majesty just now. The second question."

After hearing this, Xun Yu stood in the hall, but was speechless for a while.Zhao Yan waited for a while, seeing that he didn't answer, he stretched out his hand to straighten his clothes, and was about to speak solemnly.At this time, Xun Yu raised his head and looked at the Yinyin green shade in the courtyard outside the window, and said slowly: "Although the three thieves Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Lu Bu are destroyed, and the Central Plains are settled, the four seas have not yet been settled, and the princes are still divided. To do this is also to learn the motto of 'If you forget the battle, you will be in danger'! You must not speculate."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty also asks: Now Liu Biao, Mu of Jingzhou, and Sun Quan of Jiangdong have sent special envoys to pay tribute...and Ma Teng, General of the Western Expedition, will also come to Beijing to report on his duties..." Zhao Yan continued to follow the instructions of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty. "What's your opinion on this?" "I believe that the special envoys sent by Liu Biao and Sun Quan to Xudu are all in the name of entrusting tribute to the outside, but the fact that the insiders wait and spy is not enough." Xun Yu replied leisurely, "Only General Ma Teng, who previously followed Zhong Yao to pacify Guo Yuan, Gao Gan and other rebels, and now he has come to the court to meet with His Majesty in person, is finally different from Liu Biao, Sun Quan and others who "talk but don't do it". Your Majesty must pay attention and pay more respect to Majesty. Teng—Mr. Zhao must remember to report the old minister's words to His Majesty, and not to vent it lightly to others."

As soon as Zhao Yan heard it, he immediately restrained his face and said solemnly: "The lower official will definitely remember it and not let it out, and live up to the entrustment of Lord Lingjun." "Jiangdong Sun Quan, his father and brother are famous for their loyalty, and I have always been optimistic about him before, thinking that he can be a minister of the Han Dynasty." Xun Yu said lightly, "Let's say this time he sent an envoy to Beijing to pay tribute— —I thought that he would send Zhang Zhao as an envoy before, but unexpectedly he sent a Jianghuai man named Lu Su. From this point of view, Jiangdong Sun Quan may not be a pure minister of the great Han..."

"How did Lord Lingjun see it?" Zhao Yan asked in astonishment. "Zhang Zhao is a straight scholar who is loyal to the Han Dynasty; Lu Su is a warring country strategist who can adapt to the times." Xun Yu looked solemn and said decisively, "Sun Quan sent Zhang Zhao or Lu Su to Beijing to pay tribute As a salute, the intentions of the two are completely different." "My lord Ling Jun has a high vision and sees far and wide, and I admire you so much." Zhao Yan couldn't help but bowed deeply after hearing this, with a look of admiration on his face.He didn't expect that Xun Lingjun could understand the subordinates of the Sun family far away in Jiangdong as if he could read lines on the palm of his hand. ! But Xun Yu sighed leisurely: "In times of troubled times, it is so rare and precious to be able to live among the turbidity without losing its purity! The father and brother of the Sun family in Jiangdong have been loyal for two generations, but it was not pure when it was handed down to Sun Quan. The integrity, not the end of its virtue... lamentable! lamentable!" After hearing this, Zhao Yan felt his heart flutter, he opened his mouth several times in a row, but closed it again and again.Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he hastily took out a copy from the pile of memorials, put it on his palms, stood up very respectfully, presented it to Xun Yu, and said, "Master Lingjun, this It is a secret memorial presented to His Majesty yesterday by Kong Rong, a doctor of the Taizhong. Your Majesty thinks that this is a big matter, so he specially ordered the officials to bring this secret memorial to discuss with Your Majesty." Xun Yu took a deep look at him, but did not immediately reach out to take it, and asked calmly, "When did Doctor Kong present this secret report to His Majesty yesterday? Why didn't Shang Shutai know about it?" Zhao Yan's complexion changed, he bowed his head slightly, and said: "Last night, when Zhao was ordered by His Majesty to go to the Confucian Mansion to ask a few questions about righteousness, principles, etiquette and law, Doctor Kong entrusted Zhao to pass it directly to His Majesty on the spot." "According to the system of the Han Dynasty, any memorial to be submitted to the palace must first be handed over to the prime minister's office and Shangshutai for joint deliberation, and then presented to His Majesty for a decision based on its importance. As the special envoy of the inner court Yilang and Shangshutai, why? Do you go against the rules and go against the law?" Xun Yu said in a deep voice, his voice was surprisingly cold, "Aren't you afraid that others will accuse you of the crime of 'passing documents privately and interfering with the audience'?" "Master Ling Jun's words really make Zhao die without a place to live!" Zhao Yan burst into tears when he heard it, fell to his knees with a "plop", and cried, "Zhao is dedicated to the country! , Geng Geng's loyalty can be shown to the sun and the moon, the practice of 'privately passing on documents' is true, and there is absolutely no heart to 'interfere with the saints'!" Xun Yu's eyes flickered slightly, but his face remained unmoved. He continued to say coldly: "There is an old saying: 'The government should be unified, and the ministers should be harmonious.' This is the way to help the stability of the country. Last night Your Majesty, the Prime Minister, celebrated the conferment of Jin as Prime Minister, and wanted to share the joy with the officials. What a grand event to show your merits and virtues, and to please everyone! Your Majesty ordered you to go and ask Dr. Kong a few questions about righteousness, principles, etiquette and law. He should have returned to the palace immediately after inquiring clearly, and was not allowed to stay in the Confucian mansion to prevent Dr. Kong from offering congratulations to Prime Minister Cao. "But you don't understand the general situation, so that Dr. Kong was delayed for two hours and did not come to the prime minister's house to congratulate, so that outsiders who didn't know it thought that Dr. Kong and Cao Cheng were similarly at odds." Speaking of this, Xun Yu's voice suddenly raised a few points, and he scolded: "Mr. Zhao, this matter is your fault! You must immediately go to see Prime Minister Cao, explain the matter clearly, and take the initiative to lead it to yourself. It is to resolve the rift between Prime Minister Cao and Dr. Kong." Zhao Yan couldn't bear his stern words, so he fell on the ground and burst into tears. After a long while, he murmured: "Your Excellency is determined to reconcile the good intentions of your lords. I understand it in my heart. I can absolutely follow your instructions. But, I dare to ask Lord Ling Jun: Prime Minister Cao and Dr. Kong will really blame themselves because of the explanation of the official. Can you dissolve the rift between each other?" Having said that, he suddenly raised his head, presented the memorial again with both hands, stared at Xun Yu with tears in his eyes, and said, "Your Excellency, you should read the memorial written by Dr. Kong before we talk about it!" Xun Yu sighed deeply, stretched out his hand to take the memorial presented by Zhao Yan, opened it lightly, and was shocked at once—the title of the memorial was too scary: "It is appropriate to revive the system of the king's body"!The content in the memorial is even more sharp: The minister heard: The former kings were divided into nine Qi, the far and the near; "Spring and Autumn" included all Xia and outside Yi Di. "Poetry" says: "The closure of the base for thousands of miles is only for the people." Therefore, it is said: The residence of the Son of Heaven must be spoken by the public.The Zhou Dynasty was in decline, and the Six Kingdoms conquered it, and the bribes were granted to split the Xia.The system of Haojing and the degree of merchants have been recorded for a long time, so they are ambiguous.Qin and the world, the government did not follow the old, reformed the five classes, wiped out Houdian, built a city for thousands of miles, and erected a gate by the sea. He wanted to make Liuhe a district and Wufu a family. The family is facing the sea, and the watchman cannot be rescued.The sages and Han followed the same principles, and did not change them. They still follow the ancient law. Yingchuan, Nanyang, Chenliu, and Shangdang are near the three seas, and they are not feudal princes.Chen Yu thought: within a thousand miles, we can briefly follow the article of "Zhou Guan" Liuxiang and Liusui, all counties and counties are under the direct jurisdiction of His Majesty, and the emperor's family is respected. When he read the last sentence, Xun Yu let out a long sigh of "ah", and then closed the memorial with a "snap", closed his eyes and looked up to the sky, with a sad expression on his face. "Lord Lingjun...Lord Lingjun..." Seeing Xun Yu's expression, Zhao Yan couldn't help shouting in panic. It took Xun Yu a long time before he opened his eyes, managed to stabilize the agitation in his chest, and asked in a slow voice: "Zhao Yan! Why didn't you persuade him not to play this memorial? You...why didn't you stop him?" He did that?" "Lingjun... Lord Lingjun!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan immediately kowtowed and shouted, "You...you are wrong to blame this official! It was Dr. Kong who insisted on asking the official to forward this memorial to His Majesty. The lower official was so dry at the time, he didn't listen at all!" Hearing this, tears welled up in Xun Yu's eyes immediately.He was silent for a moment, waved his hands, stopped Zhao Yan from crying, and slowly retreated to the couch and sat down, holding the memorial of "The System of Yizhun Retro Wangji" and fell into deep thought. When Kong Rong presented this memorial at this time, he blatantly opposed Prime Minister Cao's full power and sole leadership of the government.Of course, his memorial came very ingeniously, and it can be called a "touchstone" for whether Cao Cao is still loyal to the Han Dynasty-if Cao Cao can follow what he said in the memorial, he will use his piece of "Qianli" If Cao Cao refused what Kong Rong said in his performance, he would have different aspirations, and it is inevitable that he will have the right to be authoritarian. suspect. But no matter whether Cao Cao resigned or not, he will be extremely dissatisfied with Kong Rong from the bottom of his heart-this is using the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers to force Prime Minister Cao to cut his real power.Since Cao Cao personally welcomed the emperor into Xudu more than ten years ago, no high-ranking doctor dared to openly force Cao Cao to cut power by himself.As for the consequences of offending Cao Cao on such an issue, everyone knows it without thinking about it. Finally, Xun Yu sighed heavily, and murmured: "Confucius, the sage of our ancestors, said: 'If you know what you can't do, do it. Ren, why do you regret it? Zhao Jun, go down now. Let me be alone here for a while..." As he spoke, two lines of tears welled up in his eyes, and slowly and silently flowed down his cheeks.