Tiger Guards

Chapter 551 No More Annoyances
In Xudu, after the long holiday in January, the next court meeting was held on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

Because of the Three Departments system, even if the court had reached a decision, it still had to go through the corresponding procedures with the Three Departments.

As long as the procedures are followed, even if General Lü Bu, who concurrently serves as Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, loses control of the Secretariat, he can still disrupt the procedures.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the imperial court implementing the Three Departments system.

Therefore, the court assembly on the sixteenth day of the first month of the third year of Jian'an was not considered so important.

After all, even if the emperor sits in the court and observes the discussions of the court officials, such matters, although bypassing the deliberation and voting of the Secretariat, will still be subject to procedural obstacles by the Chancellery and the Ministry of Personnel.

It's not that it's rejected, it's just a simple delay.

The Secretariat could withhold official documents and freeze them; while the Ministry of Personnel could conduct more detailed investigations and assessments on the grounds of unclear facts and incomplete materials.

As for when the investigation will be completed, that depends on the mood of Right Minister Lü Bu and Left Minister Zhao Ji.

Only when both parties are happy can the official document be issued through the Ministry of Personnel.

Of course, Lu Bu's seal of the Grand General had been stolen before... As things stand, if the Ministers, Vice Ministers, and Gentlemen of the Ministry of Personnel cooperate, they can still deceive Lu Bu and Zhao Ji and issue edicts directly in the name of the Ministry of Personnel.

Lu Bu couldn't keep a close eye on the operation of the Secretariat all the time. However, since he was closer, he could occasionally send his subordinates to inquire about the work processes of the Secretariat.

Zhao Ji was so far away that it was impossible for him to keep a close eye on the details of the Ministry of Personnel's work at all times; only the several Vice Ministers and Gentlemen of the Ministry of Personnel who had been authorized by him to exercise the power of the Left Minister could play a certain supervisory role.

Therefore, in theory, if some people within the Ministry of Personnel unite, they can bypass Lü Bu and Zhao Ji and issue an edict that is unfavorable to both sides... But in that case, it would be tantamount to a coup, which is equivalent to starting a war.

Therefore, Lü Bu was not particularly diligent in supervising the Ministry of Personnel.

Zhao Ji's continued victories in the three northern commanderies and the four Yunzhong commanderies did not cause Lü Bu to lose his composure, nor did he feel any jealousy.

As a scholar from a humble background in a border region who rose to prominence through his personal bravery, Lü Bu knew all too well how troublesome the Xiongnu and Xianbei were.

Zhao Ji's brutal beating of Li Jue and Guo Si in Guanzhong, or his repeated trampling of the armies in Guandong... such brilliant achievements would make Lü Bu feel envious; after all, if the same opportunity were presented to him, he would be confident of achieving similar results.

So Zhao Ji was just lucky to have seized the opportunity before him; if the opportunity had fallen into his lap, he would naturally have been able to both take revenge and make a name for himself.

Despite a series of military victories in conquering the northern frontier and sweeping away the various barbarian tribes, Lü Bu remained calm... Faced with the same opportunity, he truly did not believe he could fight better than Zhao Ji.

Before Zhao Ji's face, which Lu Bu disliked, appeared before him, Lu Bu was quite calm. He just wanted Zhao Ji to stop showing up in front of him and being so flamboyant.

The court assembly on the 16th was exceptionally lively and joyous due to the good news from beyond the Great Wall, and the proper attitude of the court was essential.

The Grand Marshal has recovered seven lost prefectures, crushed the barbarians and captured a million prisoners... yet you look worried. What are you planning to do?
After the court meeting concluded, Lü Bu, leading a group including Fu Wan, Zhao Wen, Dong Cheng, and others, bid farewell to the emperor.

Liu Xie, looking delighted, knelt upright at the head of the table. As the beaded curtain descended, he watched as Lü Bu and his entourage, along with two groups of over a hundred people—military officials in crimson robes and civil officials in black robes—left.

After the dukes and officials had left in an orderly manner, Liu Xie got up and walked towards the side door, followed by two palace maids.

As Liu Xie exited through the side door, he squinted at the sun high overhead. The bright sunlight brought a warm feeling, as if it were soothing his slightly chilly body.

With a flick of his sleeves, Liu Xie boarded the carriage, followed on foot by Grand Chamberlain Shi Qian.

After leaving the Southern Palace and entering the Northern Palace, Liu Xie said, "According to the estimates of the officials, the Grand Marshal has acquired no less than five million livestock. However, my carriage only has four mediocre horses, not fine steeds, and their coats are of mixed colors. You should write to the Grand Marshal to inquire whether the palace can be temporarily relieved in the spring." "Yes, sir."

Shi Qian responded in a low voice: when the emperor gives instructions to the officials, there must be a written record; but these eunuchs only need to give verbal instructions.

Whether they did good or bad, the eunuchs would naturally bear the infamy of extorting and plundering the people.

Liu Xie did not think there was anything wrong with his arrangements. Whether it was being forced to move west by Dong Zhuo or the later eastward relocation of the court, Liu Xie suffered from hunger quite a bit.

People who have experienced hunger naturally have a more flexible perspective and are more materialistic.

At that time, the emperor was in distress, and the local officials and powerful figures all pretended to be poor, with no one willing to take the initiative to relieve the emperor's predicament.

Now that they have moved to Xuchang, although there were local specialties presented by various states in the second year of Jian'an... these local specialties seem to have truly returned to their essence, with local specialties as the standard. They may be rare and exotic, but they are more symbolic.

It's not even as good as low-quality coarse silk or three- or four-year-old grain.

What upset Liu Xie the most was Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji also presented the court with local specialties from Bingzhou, Sizhou, and Liangzhou, which were all conventional and mainly symbolic.

It was thought that Zhao Ji knew the emperor was short of money and would understand his difficulties, and would try to squeeze out some resources to improve the finances of the Xudu Palace.

However, Zhao Ji had seized the Wei family's treasury and the gold and silver artifacts looted by the remnants of Li Jue and Guo Si's forces. Now, he had also defeated the Qiang and Xianbei tribes and recovered seven counties, and the amount of gold, silver, and luxury goods he had captured was incalculable.

Even if Zhao Ji manages to squeeze out a little money now, Liu Xie's life will be a bit easier.

During this winter, Liu Xie also realized that he could not rely solely on Lü Bu. Lü Bu was also actively trying to win over Liu Bei, the governor of Xu Province, and Liu Bei was also moving closer to Lü Bu. The two became increasingly intimate.

This gave Liu Xie a great sense of crisis. Compared to what Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, Guo Si, or even Zhao Ji might do in Hedong, what he found most intolerable was Lü Bu's close relationship with the imperial clansmen.

Although Liu Bei was a distant relative of the imperial family, wasn't Emperor Guangwu also a distant relative of the imperial family at the end of the Former Han Dynasty?

The imperial clan system was a double-edged sword. Liu Xie wanted to use the imperial clan to counterbalance Lü Bu and Zhao Ji, but Lü Bu and Liu Bei, who also came from the border regions, seemed to have more in common.

This has deeply crossed Liu Xie's bottom line, and it directly threatens him.

There was really no other way, so he had to instruct Shi Qian to seek favor with Zhao Jipan and solicit a bribe... The court would naturally not be stingy with official positions.

If Zhao Ji could accept Shi Qian's bribery, it would show that Zhao Ji still respected himself and the court.

Did Liu Xie care about the rumors brought by Consort Dong?

It would be a lie to say I don't care, but even if I do care, what can I do?
The fact that the nominal eldest son of the emperor was in Zhao Ji's hands ironically became his shield as emperor.

The Liu family always had a very clear understanding of matters between men and women.

As long as Zhao Ji doesn't make a big fuss about it and let the whole world know, Liu Xie doesn't care.

If you can't find Zhao Ji and Fu Shou, just assume they're dead.

(End of this chapter)