Late Han Zhao Tang

The Tang emperor, who was working hard late into the night, went to bed so late that Zhang Yu was unable to get up on time.

When Zhang Yu opened his blurry eyes, all he saw was a blanket of white. He sensed his body and felt a warm sensation.

Last night, the twin blossoms opened, a rare sight in the world. The Qiao sisters, though not particularly outstanding, were inexperienced in matters of the heart, but their long legs and fair, delicate bodies were captivating. Thus, driven by lust, Zhang Yu toiled until late into the night.

Without dwelling on his foolishness, Zhang Yu mustered his spirits, glanced at the beauty in the gentle embrace of her, and sighed deeply at how worrisome youth was!

However, after a night of investigation, he could roughly guess that the two beauties on the bed might be the 'Two Bridges' in history.

What is the proof?

The surname Qiao was rare during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although there was a prominent Qiao clan in Suiyang, represented by Qiao Xuan, Qiao Xuan died young during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, and there was no mention of him having two daughters. Ironically, Qiao Rui did have two daughters. Considering the close relationship between the Sun and Yuan families in history, it is highly likely that the two women in his bed were the Qiao sisters, the two Qiao sisters that later generations have been longing to know.

Now, with the addition of the large and small bridges to the palace, there are already many concubines in his harem who have left their mark on history, such as Cai Yan, Zhen Mi, Lady Yin, and Lady Zou.

He is about to unify the chaotic China, and the beautiful concubines in the palace await his favor. In this way, he has both career success and love, and all his years of risking his life have not been in vain.

"Your Majesty!"

Sensing that Zhang Yu had left his side, Da Qiao forced himself to stand up despite his aching body and prepared to help Zhang Yu change his clothes.

"no need!"

With the help of a maid, Zhang Yu changed into his undergarments and said with a smile, "You and your sister should rest well today. You can go back to the manor to visit your parents when you have time. It will be inconvenient to visit your family after we return to Chang'an."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"correct!"

Zhang Yu allowed the maid to help him change his clothes, and said, "Take the original score of 'Yangchun Baixue' from the manor and present it to the Queen in my name after returning to Chang'an."

"Yes!" the bridge responded.

Back then, Zhang Yu promised Wang Ji that he would find the three lost pieces of music: "High Mountains and Flowing Water," "White Snow in Spring," and "Guangling San." Zhang Yu was quite conscientious and always remembered his promise. "High Mountains and Flowing Water" was obtained during the conquest of Longyou, while "White Snow in Spring" is now in the hands of the Qiao family, and only "Guangling San" is nowhere to be found.

Xiaoqiao was awakened by the noise. Seeing Daqiao talking to Zhang Yu, she asked groggily, "What happened?"

Seeing this, Zhang Yu's playful side was aroused, and he said, "I just said that I would confer the title of beauty upon you two sisters, but since you are not awake yet, I can only grant you the title of talented woman."

"what!"

Xiaoqiao thought she had caused trouble, and her sleepiness vanished instantly. Ignoring the fact that she had exposed herself, she bowed while wearing only a bra, revealing her bare, white body.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness and hope that you will grant me the title of Beauty again!"

The large steamed bun was quite round, and it looked rather appetizing to Zhang Yu. It smiled and said, "Considering this is your first time, I will not change your title."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Compared to the charming little bridge, the big bridge is much more dignified. Although it is like a beautiful woman just waking up, it is dressed in a dark green lining.

"Ha ha!"

After joking around with the beauty, Zhang Yu was in a great mood. He washed up, had breakfast, and then went to the front hall to summon the surrendered people of Chen one by one.

"Your Majesty, scholars such as Song Zhong, Sima Hui, Pang Ji, Wang Can, and Zhuge Jin have arrived at the palace and are awaiting Your Majesty's summons."

Guo Tu handed over the list and said, "In the afternoon, military generals such as Han Hao, Huang Zhong, Wang Wei, and Han Xi will arrive at the palace to wait."

"Food must be provided in the palace; do not let the scholars who have been waiting for so long go hungry!"

Zhang Yu glanced at the list, frowned, and said, "Why isn't Pang Shang on it?"

"Your Majesty, Pang Shang has lived south of Mount Xian for many years and has never entered the city. In the past, Yuan Shu invited him to serve as an official, but he refused. Yuan Shu saw that he was fond of Laozi and Zhuangzi's teachings, so he stopped recruiting him. A few days ago, his attendants summoned him to Nanyang to visit Your Majesty, but Pang Shang refused to go, saying that he was not suited to serve as an official," Guo Tu said.

Zhang Yu sneered and said, "Send a carriage to invite Pang Shang to the palace. If he does not come to Nanyang, have the driver stay at Pang's residence."

"promise!"

"Summon Sima Hui to the palace first!"

"promise!"

A short while later, an old man dressed in plain clothes entered the hall. From a distance, he did not appear to be a wise and capable person, but rather an old man who farmed the land.

"Sima Hui, a farmer, pays his respects to the Tang Emperor."

"Since you are an elder, then there is no need for such formalities!"

Zhang Yu pointed to the soft mat in the hall and asked, "I have heard that you are learned and knowledgeable, proficient in divination and classical studies, and many people from Jingzhou come to study under you. Yuan Shu repeatedly invited you to serve as an official, why did you refuse?"

Sima Hui said, "Your Majesty, Yuan Shu is like Emperor Gaozu, but he lacks Gaozu's magnanimity and is not good at accepting good advice. If I follow him, I will be killed sooner or later!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I wish to recruit you as an official; I wonder if you are willing to serve?"

Sima Hui laughed and said, "Your Majesty invites me to serve without even considering my talent and learning. Are you not afraid that I am just an ordinary person?"

"Your comments on Yuan Shu's words have shown me that you are no ordinary person!"

"Very well!" Sima Hui laughed. "Your Majesty wishes to give me an important position, but I only know about farming and studying, and I fear I might jeopardize important matters."

Zhang Yu chuckled a few times and said, "You declined the official post, yet you have excellent teaching methods. Why not come to the palace to teach my sons?"

"I fear the sea of ​​learning is too arduous, and the gentlemen may not be able to endure it."

"Everything is up to you, sir; I will not interfere."

Seeing that Zhang Yu trusted him so much, Sima Hui asked in confusion, "Why does Your Majesty place such trust in me?"

"it is good!"

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu said "good" twice, almost leaving the mild-mannered Sima Hui dumbfounded. Wasn't this his own way of protecting himself? What did the Tang King mean by this?

Composing himself, Zhang Yu had no intention of teasing Sima Hui and said with a smile, "I heard about your reputation as a teacher in Jingzhou from Kuai Yue. Now that you have great talent but no interest in becoming an official, why not teach this humble student? It would be quite an interesting thing."

Seeing that Zhang Yu had gone this far, Sima Hui could only say, "Since Your Majesty values ​​your subject so highly, I will do my best."

Compared to Pang Degong, who desired to retire from public life, Sima Hui, as an outsider, was still eager to accomplish something; otherwise, he wouldn't have been teaching while simultaneously observing the situation. Historically, he even recommended Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong to Liu Bei.

Now that Sima Hui is old and has many duties in the prefectures and counties, it would be better to summon him to the palace to teach the children and see if he can cultivate a wise ruler who understands the situation of the world.

Zhang Yu said, "You know many scholars in Jingzhou, but I wonder if you have any talent for understanding current affairs?"

"Jingzhou is full of Confucian scholars and vulgar people; few of them seem to understand the times!"

Sima Hui pondered for a moment and said, "In my life, I have only seen two people who can be called outstanding talents: Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong. Although they are only in their early twenties, their intelligence is unmatched. If Your Majesty does not mind their youth and ignorance, you may consider recruiting them into your service."

Where are the two of them?

"Zhuge Liang's elder brother, Zhuge Jin, is in Wancheng, and Pang Tong is now the Chief Clerk of Nan Commandery."

"good!"

Zhang Yu then asked, "I have heard that Pang Degong is a close friend of yours. May I ask him to serve in my office?"

"It's difficult!"

Sima Hui said, "Pang Degong was fond of the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi. He had no interest in the world and believed that all things had their own predetermined destiny."

“Pang Degong lives among the fields and refuses to accept a salary. Could it be that he has no intention of leaving wealth and honor to his descendants?” Zhang Yu asked.

"Someone once asked Pang Degong about this, and Pang Degong replied, 'People pursue fame and fortune, which will leave dangers for their descendants; but he does not seek fame and fortune, and what he leaves for his descendants is something that will bring them happiness and a peaceful life.'" Sima Yi replied.

"When asked why, De Gong replied, 'Although Yu and Tang valued the four seas above all else, they used the state to benefit their relatives, causing Jie to be exiled to Nanchao and Zhou to hang his head on the Zhou flag, and their clans to suffer the consequences. Yu and Tang were not as foolish as Yao and Shun, but the descendants of Danzhu (Yao's son) and Shangjun (Shun's son) could be kept safe simply by avoiding wealth and honor and living near the mountains and forests, under the shade of weeds.'"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu felt a deep sense of melancholy. Pang Degong's mindset far surpassed that of ordinary people. In his eyes, wealth and status were enviable and would eventually bring disaster. Moreover, involving his descendants in power struggles would only harm them, since no dynasty lasts forever.

"General principles!"

"Chen is here!"

Zhang Yu said, "There is no need to forcibly conscript Pang Degong. Give him 100 shi of grain and let him devote himself to his studies. If he has a son, examine his learning and observe his talent, and then recruit him as an official."

"promise!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu no longer forcibly conscripted Pang Degong, Sima Hui sighed with emotion. Most monarchs in the world have an insatiable lust for power, but Zhang Yu not only did not blame him, but also gave him grain as encouragement. Such a monarch is rare indeed!

"Your Majesty," Sima Hui said, "although Pang Degong is determined to retire and has no intention of serving in the government, we should give Song Zhong an important position. He is a great Confucian scholar from Nanyang, renowned throughout the land, and many people from Chu and Shu have come to study under him."

"Please recommend a worthy person!"

After a conversation, Zhang Yu gradually obtained a list of many outstanding talents from Jingzhou who had studied under Sima Hui. In addition to Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, there were four others, including Liu Yi and Han Song from Nanyang, and Xiang Lang and Ma Liang from Xiangyang.

Historically, Liu Bei's rise to power after the Battle of Red Cliffs was largely due to his friendship with Sima Hui, also known as Mr. Shui Jing, during his time in Xinye. He first befriended a great Confucian scholar, then recruited his sons. This was exactly the same strategy he employed during his time in Qingzhou, where he befriended Zheng Xuan and then recruited Sun Qian.

At present, Liu Bei has not stayed in Xinye for long, let alone met Sima Hui. Zhang Yu took control of Chen and summoned Sima Hui, obtaining a large list of young talents from Jingzhou through their teacher-student relationship.

After talking with Sima Hui, Zhang Yu had a general idea of ​​who would be summoned next.

For example, Song Zhong was assigned by Zhang Yu to serve as a doctor at the Imperial Academy, while Qi Wukai was also appointed as a doctor.

Pang Ji was a member of the Pang clan of Xiangyang. He was a man of exceptional talent and learning, and was of the same generation as Pang Degong. He served as a minister in the state of Chen and was later promoted by Zhang Yu to be the governor of Nanxiang County.

Nanxiang Commandery was established by dividing the western part of Nanyang Commandery. After all, Nanyang Commandery was the former capital region of the Chen Kingdom, and it was not appropriate to maintain the original system. Dividing Nanyang Commandery would be beneficial for Zhang Tang to gain deeper control over the Nanyang Basin.

Han Song, courtesy name Degao, was from a poor family but was very studious. When Yuan Shu ruled Nanyang, Han Song first served as a provincial official. Because of his reputation and his lack of opposition to Yuan Shu's claim to the throne, he was appointed as a court attendant after Yuan Shu declared himself emperor.

Zhang Yu summoned Han Song for a strategy, and seeing that Han Song was quite talented and understood the people's sentiments in the chaotic world, he appointed Han Song as the governor of Jiyin.

Next came Wang Can. Wang Can, needless to say, was one of the Seven Scholars of Jian'an, born into the Wang clan of Shanyang. Although renowned for his talent, his ugly appearance prevented him from being valued by Yuan Shu. Zhang Yu, considering Wang Can's past association with Cai Yong and the illustrious family's lineage of several generations serving as Three Dukes of the Eastern Han Dynasty, decided to recruit him as his secretary and concurrently as a Gentleman Attendant, tasking him with drafting imperial edicts alongside Zhao Zi and polishing them.

It was noon when Zhuge Jin, who was last in line, was finally summoned by Zhang Yu! (End of Chapter)