My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 451 The Prime Minister?

A military parade has changed many things.

The Imperial Guards protecting the Bronze Sparrow Terrace were completely replaced from start to finish, all of them selected by Gao Yu from the local militia.

The court officials and civil and military officials have already realized that this time, the situation in Ye City is about to change.

Yuan Xiu's repeated provocations against Gao Yu have caused political turmoil whose effects are still ongoing.

When it comes time to truly 'reward merit,' there will certainly be many more changes.

…………

A bright sun hangs high in the sky.

Gao Huan's steps were somewhat unsteady. His injuries had not fully healed before he was summoned to Ye City, and the journey had taken its toll.

He wasn't walking with anyone, even though Sima Ziru and the others were not far in front of him.

Realizing that Sima Ziru and the others seemed to be waiting for him, Gao Huan stopped and did not move forward.

Until they entered the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

Gao Yu was already waiting inside. When he saw Gao Huan arrive, he immediately greeted him with a smile and pulled Gao Huan to stand beside him.

When everyone looked up, they could see the two Gao brothers standing in front of the emperor's desk.

Yuan Xiu soon arrived inside the hall.

He could see Gao Huan approaching as soon as he arrived at the desk.

"Hmph... He Liuhun, I thought he was planning to stay in the dark like a coward, but he actually came today?"

"By the way, his son seems to have arrived in the city as well; this seems like a good opportunity."

Yuan Xiu glared fiercely at Gao Yu, and although it was only at Gao Yu's back, it was enough to make him feel secretly pleased for a moment.

But when Gao Yu turned around to face him, Yuan Xiu immediately suppressed the malice in his eyes, appearing harmless and even smiling slightly.

"Today's court assembly is to commemorate the previous great battle and to reward those who contributed!"

Yuan Xiu was very proactive from the start.

This surprised Gao Yu somewhat, but he didn't take it seriously.

The emperor's 'wings' have been completely severed by him.

The biggest hidden danger left by Gao Huan's previous leniency towards Yuan Xiu is that the Imperial Guards are still under Yuan Xiu's control.

However, after the military parade, all the original Imperial Guards were transferred to the army, and the Tongquetai was filled with loyal soldiers of Gao Yu.

The only hidden danger was completely eliminated by Gao Yu.

There are still some ministers in the court who were personally promoted by Yuan Xiu, but after today, Gao Yu will kick them all out and send them to various places under the pretext of transfer.

Sima Ziru quickly cupped his hands and spoke.

"Your Majesty! In rewarding merit, the greatest credit should go to General Tian Ce!"

"Yes! If the general hadn't led the troops here, how could we have recaptured Ye City?"

"General Tian Ce deserves the greatest credit!"

Gao Yu glanced at them and realized that many of them were people who had not explicitly expressed their loyalty to him before. Yang Yin and the others were right.

As long as Gao Yu shows even a hint of 'ambition,' it will naturally soothe people's hearts.

These people were initially undecided.

But after watching Gao Yu's actions these past few days, they all know exactly what's going on!

It is clearly recorded in historical books.

Gao Yu was merely following in the footsteps of his 'predecessors,' gradually stripping Yuan Xiu of his power. All that remained was for the right opportunity to abdicate in favor of Yuan Xiu.

Many people don't understand why Gao Yu's attitude changed so quickly.

But it doesn't matter.

The important thing is that Gao Yu conveyed this one meaning, and that's enough!

Gao Yu remained silent, seemingly uninvolved, but he still had to maintain a facade to avoid suspicion. Yuan Xiu turned his gaze to several close relatives and ministers he had personally promoted, but... these people avoided his eyes, not daring to meet his gaze at all, all choosing to cower like turtles.

A military parade made these people realize the truth completely.

What can be done, and what cannot be done.

Yuan Xiu's ship is already teetering on the brink of collapse, and it could capsize at any moment. As passengers who haven't disembarked yet, they have no intention of continuing to march along with Yuan Xiu down the path of self-destruction.

waste!

It's all rubbish!

I was truly blind back then!

They promoted such a spineless bunch!
Yuan Xiu was furious. He realized that it was better to rely on himself than to ask others for help; he had no choice but to depend on himself.

"General Tian Ce has certainly made outstanding contributions, but... in my opinion, the greatest credit for this battle belongs to Gao Huan, the governor of Hengzhou!"

Everyone was astonished.

Gao Yu remained calm and composed, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Yuan Xiu continued speaking to himself.

"It was the governor of Hengzhou who led his troops to hold the rebel Erzhu Rong back in Yinzhou, buying time for General Tiance to quell the rebellion in Yingzhou. Moreover... Governor Gao Huan of Hengzhou almost died on the battlefield while confronting Erzhu Rong. How can this not be considered a first-class achievement?"

"Of course... General Tian Ce's northward campaign to quell the bandits in Yingzhou and his southward campaign to defeat the rebel Erzhu Rong are also remarkable achievements!"

"How about this?"

Yuan Xiu said, "Gao Huan, the governor of Hengzhou, was seriously injured this time and will be unable to lead troops into battle again in the future. However, he is quite capable and can stay in the court to help me handle complicated government affairs. I want to appoint Gao Huan, the governor of Hengzhou, as prime minister."

"As for the General of Heavenly Strategy, he already controls all the troops in the land. I have decided to bestow upon him the title of Duke of Zhoucheng."

The nobility system of the Great Wei Dynasty.

The title of Kaiguo County is second only to that of a king.

Yuan Xiu actually went all out.

If Gao Yu wants to usurp the throne according to the normal script, he has already obtained the privileges of "wearing a sword and shoes in the palace, being able to pay homage without using his name, and not having to bow when entering the court".

All that's missing is the title of king and the bestowal of the Nine Bestowments.

Raising Gao Yu's title to the Founding Duke is tantamount to accelerating his usurpation of the throne!
The goal was simply to push Gao Huan to the position of prime minister, so that he could continue to compete with Gao Yu and thus check and restrain Gao Yu.

As for whether Gao Huan's ambitions would grow further and whether he would also have thoughts of usurping the throne?
Yuan Xiu couldn't care less about anything else.

Just like Yuan Ziyou before.

By constantly granting Gao Yu more power, how could he not know that the growth of power would inevitably inflate a person's ambition?

But with Erzhu Rong posing a looming threat, he could only deal with the immediate situation. As for whether Gao Yu would become the second Erzhu Rong in the future?
That's not something Yuan Ziyou needs to consider in the short term.

The same applies to Yuan Xiu.

At least in Yuan Xiu's eyes.

Gao Huan is a decent person and will delegate authority to him.

Let's take a look at Gao Yu again?
In just a few days, they had taken back all the power that Yuan Xiu already had.

They left Yuan Xiu no way out.

It was exactly like Cao Cao's attempt to mold Yuan Xiu into a complete mascot, like Emperor Xian of Han.

The two powers harm each other, whichever is less.

What will become of Gao Huan in the future remains to be seen.

Let's resolve the threat posed by Gao Yu first.

No one answered in the hall.

Everyone turned their attention to the person in the spotlight.

Gao Huan!