Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 250: The Beauty is Enchanted, and the Queen is Enthroned

"I seem to be a little tired these days!"

Zhang Yu sat in front of the bronze mirror, looking at his tired face in the mirror and asked.

"Husband, why do you say this?"

A charming face appeared in the mirror, and she said gently, "My husband is full of energy and strong, how can he be tired?"

As she spoke, Zou Qi hugged Zhang Yu's neck and said with a sweet smile, "If you feel weak, I can make some nourishing soup for you."

Zhang Yu did not insist, but said obediently: "In that case, I'll trouble Luo Ji!"

Under the persuasion of Guo Tu and Zhang Ji, Zhang Yu took Zou Qi as his concubine. Zou Qi was indeed a woman who could make Cao Cao infatuated. She was really beautiful and knew how to serve people. Even Zhang Yu could not help but indulge in her gentleness.

The body of a beautiful girl in her twenties is as soft as butter, and she carries a sword at her waist to kill ordinary men!
After several days of hard work, Zhang Yujin finally realized that his body was getting tired. For the sake of his health, he could not do it anymore. After all, the body is a lifelong thing, and Zhang Yu did not want to indulge too much when he was young, so that he would be powerless when he was old.

Zou Qi's eyebrows revealed the charm of a newlywed woman, and she said, "I heard that there is a hot spring in Mount Li. If you want to nourish your body, you can go to the palace to recuperate."

The natural hot springs in Mount Li have long been famous. King You of Zhou built the Li Palace, Qin Shihuang expanded it, and Emperor Wu of Han renovated it into a summer palace. It was subsequently renovated through successive generations and became the Huaqing Palace in the Tang Dynasty.

Zhang Yu couldn't help stretching out his hand to knead the buns and said, "Li Palace is the emperor's palace. The emperor is still in Chang'an today. How can we go there?"

"It was I who was talking nonsense!"

Zou Qi's beautiful eyes moved as she said carefully, "My brother asked me to ask my husband. As a general, he should not stay in Chang'an for a long time. Now I don't know where he is stationed. He is willing to lead his troops out of the town."

"hiss!"

Feeling Zou Qi's restless hands, Zhang Yu suppressed his desire and said, "I will take care of Zhang Ji's affairs. Military and political affairs are important matters of the country, so please do not interfere."

Seeing that Zhang Yu didn't like her asking about government affairs, Zou Qi felt a little worried, so she acted coquettishly and said softly, "My husband, do you need me?"

Zhang Yu looked at Zou Qi's red lips and couldn't help being excited, so he gently touched Zou Qi's hair and spread her legs. Zou Qi rolled her eyes at Zhang Yu...

In the morning, Zhang Yu tidied his clothes and walked out of the house looking refreshed.

With the breeze blowing on his face, Zhang Yu, who was in a state of Buddha-like state, could not help but regret his indulgence. He had promised to take care of his body, but now he could not help but do something wrong.

Forget it, this won’t happen again!
When Zhang Yu walked out of the inner house, he met Lu Fan, who had been waiting for a long time, in the outer courtyard.

When Lü Fan saw Zhang Yu, he stepped forward and said, "Sir, Lü Bu is waiting in the hall!"

"Let him go to the council chamber!"

"promise!"

Dong Zhuo's mansion was really big. There were several halls just for receiving guests. There were three inner courtyards and three outer courtyards, for a total of six courtyards.

After a while, Zhang Yu and Lu Fan talked as they walked, and soon they arrived at the council hall.

Seeing Zhang Yu, Lu Bu stood up and bowed to greet him, saying, "Bu greets you, my lord!"

"Fengxian and I are from the same hometown and are close friends. No need to be polite now!"

Zhang Yu spoke in a friendly tone, walked straight to the couch, and invited Lu Bu to sit down, saying: "I originally wanted to keep Fengxian by my side, but if Fengxian stayed inside the pass, it would be a waste of his military skills. Therefore, considering the situation, I specially recommend you to be the governor of Yanzhou and the general of Andong. I wonder if Fengxian is happy about it?"

Lu Bu showed a delighted expression and said, "Your Excellency's kindness makes me happy."

"Bu followed you to rescue the emperor and drive out the bandits. I wanted to protect the emperor in his eastward migration, but I am a foreign general and I am afraid I will be suspected. Now you have appointed me to a high position and let me guard the Central Plains. I am very grateful!"

After a pause, Lu Bu said with difficulty, "Yanzhou is already occupied by Cao Cao, and his army is very large. Now he has defeated Yuan Shu, and his reputation has greatly increased. I am afraid that I am not Cao Cao's opponent."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "You are a fierce tiger from the north. When you are hungry, you can dominate the mountains and forests. When you are full, you can live in peace in the world. Cao Mengde may be brave and wise, but he is not your opponent. So why do you doubt yourself?"

Seeing Zhang Yu praising him as a fierce tiger of Shuofang, Lu Bu was delighted and said, "Your Excellency praised me highly. I am quite brave. I dare not be a tiger, but an eagle. Although an eagle soars in the sky, it will fly back to its nest when it hears the call. Your Excellency has raised me, and I will never forget your kindness!"

Although Lü Bu was erratic, he was not a brainless and reckless man. Zhang Yu recommended him as the governor of Yanzhou, so he had a purpose in using him. Although the relationship between Lü Bu and Zhang Yu was not that of a monarch and his subject, he was happy to be used by Zhang Yu.

The relationship between Lü Bu and Zhang Yu may seem strange, but it is not. Cao Cao to Yuan Shao, Sun Jian to Yuan Shu, and Liu Bei to Liu Biao in history. After all, although the world is in chaos, the emperor is still there, and it is difficult to say that the relationship between the princes and their subordinates is a monarch-minister relationship.

If we want to more accurately describe the relationship between Lü Bu and Zhang Yu, it is more appropriate to describe it as dependence or alliance. Zhang Yu is the host or the main ally, and Lü Bu is the guest general. Now Lü Bu guessed this, so he would naturally show goodwill to Zhang Yu, indicating that even if he left the country to become a shepherd, he would not forget the relationship with Zhang Yu.

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu took a sip of tea and said sincerely: "Don't forget our old words. You and I are from the same hometown and are close friends. Fengxian regarded my father as his uncle, so he thought we could call each other brothers. Therefore, the situation in the world is in chaos, and you and I need to rely on each other!"

"I dare not forget what you said!" Lu Bu was touched and said with emotion: "Your Excellency persuaded me to kill Dong because of our friendship. I was grateful for Ji An's friendship, so I served you."

It was nice to hear, but Zhang Yu would never believe Lu Bu's words because of the previous experience of Ding and Dong. The reason why he let Lu Bu take the post of governor of Yanzhou was mainly because he had no time to worry about the Central Plains. Guanzhong was not yet at peace, so Longyou and Hebei were the two places where he would focus his efforts.

When he has pacified Hebei and Longyou, if Lu Bu surrenders, Zhang Yu can still treat him with wealth and honor. But if Lu Bu keeps his own regime and does not pay homage to the government, don't blame him for taking action.

Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Lu Bu took the opportunity to say, "Cao Cao has many soldiers and horses in Yanzhou, and I only have a few thousand infantry and cavalry. The enemy is many and we are few. I am afraid it will be difficult for me to take back Yanzhou. I wonder if you can ~?"

Zhang Yu played with the cup in his hand and said thoughtfully, "Cao Cao is attached to Yuan Shao, and now Yuan Shao and Zhang Miao are at odds. Zhang Miao is a hero in the fight against Dong Zhuo, and Chenliu has a good army and sufficient food. It is difficult for him to be inferior to Cao Cao. So if Fengxian goes to Yanzhou, he might as well make friends with Zhang Miao first."

Zhang Yu paused and continued, "Fengxian will lead his troops out of the pass. If there is no place to stay temporarily, you can go to Yingchuan temporarily."

"Yuan Shu was defeated by Cao Cao and is now at loggerheads with him. With my letter, Yuan Shu will gladly accept Fengxian. As for Sun Jian, the governor of Yuzhou, I saved his life and he will certainly accept Fengxian."

"Fengxian is in Yingchuan. Don't make enemies with Sun Jian and Yuan Shu. Prepare your troops and make friends with Zhang Miao. When there is a change in Yanzhou, it will be an opportunity for Fengxian to use military force. When necessary, I will send troops and food to support Fengxian."

Lü Bu's successful raid on Yanzhou was thanks to Zhang Miao and Chen Gong who welcomed Lü Bu into Yanzhou. Now Zhang Yu must create opportunities for Lü Bu as much as possible, and even help Lü Bu to improve the diplomatic situation, so as not to deviate from the track he has set.

"Thank you, sir!" Lu Bu was overjoyed and saluted.

"good!"

After chatting with Lu Bu for a long time, Lu Bu took the initiative to say goodbye when Dong Cheng came to visit him.

"I am honored to meet you, Your Majesty!" Dong Cheng said as he bowed.

Zhang Yu motioned Dong Cheng to sit down and said with a smile, "You have done a great service in welcoming the emperor. I wonder what your plans are?"

Dong Cheng hesitated for a moment and said, "The emperor is in a weak position. I am willing to follow you to assist the Han Dynasty."

Zhang Yu said, "I heard that you have a daughter who is about the same age as your Majesty. Is this true?"

Dong Cheng's heart beat a few times, and he said, "To be honest with you, my dear, the girl I have is about the same age as your majesty, she is very pretty, gentle and virtuous, and she is still unmarried!"

"I wonder what your Excellency means?"

Zhang Yu observed Dong Cheng's expression and said with a smile: "Your Majesty has been on the throne for many years, but has not yet appointed a queen. You are related to Your Majesty, why not strengthen the relationship and marry your daughter to Your Majesty as queen."

Historically, Liu Xie's empress was Fu Shou, but Fu Shou was not Empress Fu at the moment, but only Concubine Fu. And Concubine Dong, the daughter of Dong Cheng, had not yet entered the palace.

Zhang Yu considered that his control over the court would weaken after the court moved eastward, so he intended to support Dong Cheng, let Dong Cheng marry his daughter to Liu Xie, and make him the queen. At that time, Dong Cheng would become a relative of the emperor, and his status would rise rapidly.

As for why Zhang Yu supported Dong Cheng?

The root of the problem was that Dong Cheng was restless. Although he had a relationship with Empress Dong, he had no heart for the Han Dynasty. In history, he worked for Dong Zhuo and Li Jue. After Liu Xie moved east, Dong Cheng could not stand Yang Feng and Han Xian interfering in government affairs, so he invited Cao Cao to Beijing.

Dong Cheng was an opportunist himself, and after becoming a relative of the emperor, he was even more intent on taking charge of the government. Zhang Yu could not fail to use such an ambitious person, especially since his talents were low and it was difficult for him to achieve great things.

Hearing this, Dong Cheng was overjoyed and said, "I have heard from the palace ladies that your majesty intends to make Concubine Fu the empress. If you want to change your majesty's mind, I am afraid you will need to submit a petition."

Zhang Yu said: "The father of Concubine Fu, Fu Wan, is married to the royal family. He is deep-minded and generous, and has a high reputation. If your daughter had not entered the palace, Concubine Fu would have become the queen. However, Fu Wan's power is weak, and you have troops in your hands, so you can be relied on by the Han Dynasty!"

"I will send someone to submit a petition regarding the matter of establishing a queen. But now there is one matter that I would like you to handle for me."

"Please give your orders, sir!" Dong Cheng said respectfully.

"Although Li Jue has been defeated, his remnants are still in Guanzhong. The counties on the Long River are occupied by Ma Teng, Han Sui, and Song Jian. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the Guanxi area is peaceful. I want to quell the rebellion in Guanxi for the country. However, I remember that the three prefectures in Guanzhong are important places for the Sili, and the territory of Liangzhou is vast."

Zhang Yu said truthfully: "So I want to make Guanzhong and Longshang Yongzhou, and Jincheng, Beidiji and several counties in Hexi Liangzhou."

Dong Cheng seemed to understand Zhang Yu's intention and asked in a low voice, "Your Excellency, do you want to concurrently take on the post of Governor of Yongzhou?"

"Of course!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Minister Wu Shuo will write a petition for me. Please persuade His Majesty for me."

Zhang Yu seemed to be discussing something, but in fact his tone revealed an irrefutable meaning. After all, it could be said that he was the one who deliberately supported Dong Cheng. He could help Dong Cheng up, but he could also make Dong Cheng fall!
Hearing this, Dong Cheng said without hesitation: "Since Your Majesty values me, how dare I disobey your orders? I will definitely convince Your Majesty about the Yongzhou matter."

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded in satisfaction and said, "After moving east to Luoyang, you will still need to assist His Majesty in the court and interact more with the general!"

"Thank you for your teachings!" Dong Cheng said happily.

(End of this chapter)