My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 455 Your Majesty, I invite you to drink!

Wang Xuan, clad in armor and wielding a long halberd, patrolled the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

He followed Gao Yu north to Yingzhou and then south to Yecheng. After the war ended, he should have returned to Qingzhou with the main force.

However, he was kept behind and incorporated into the Imperial Guard, and was temporarily unable to return home.

However, Gao Yu had promised the soldiers who were supposed to return home to rest but were left behind that once the soldiers on duty from Shandong arrived, they would be allowed to return to Qingzhou for their normal rest.

At present, Gao Yu can only trust the garrison soldiers, so he can only temporarily make these exhausted garrison soldiers suffer.

After all, even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, so he couldn't give Yuan Xiu any chance.

Not too bad.

After all, they weren't fighting on the battlefield. Serving as imperial guards in the palace and being able to see the emperor every day was an honor that ordinary people could only dream of.

"Keep your spirits up! Don't embarrass yourselves and invite criticism. We were recruited into the Imperial Guard by the General for our bravery. If we make a fool of ourselves, it will be the General who loses face!"

Wherever Wang Xuan went, the soldiers stood tall and proud.

The night was quiet when a series of hurried footsteps broke the silence. Wang Xuan rushed over after hearing the footsteps.

"Chancellor Cui, that young man isn't..."

Why did the two of them enter the palace late at night?

Using the faint light provided by the torches, Wang Xuan immediately recognized the person who had entered the palace late at night. His expression changed drastically, and he quickly summoned the person beside him, "Go, inform the general of this news!"

………………

Yuan Xiu sat upright in the hall. When the hall door was pushed open, he looked up and immediately saw the young man behind Cui Jishu.

The boy had fair skin and handsome features; these two features alone showed that he had a close relationship with the brothers Gao Huan and Gao Yu.

Yuan Xiu, whose own modeling skills were poor and whose appearance was average, couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy in his eyes.

Damn.

A family of gigolos.

"Your subject Cui Jishu (Gao Cheng) greets Your Majesty!"

The two were led into the hall, whereupon they immediately bowed and greeted the guests.

"When meeting in private, there's no need to be so formal."

After saying this, Yuan Xiu waved his hand, and the guards and palace maids all withdrew.

"Please, my two ministers, take your seats."

Before the two arrived, Yuan Xiu had already had wine and meat placed on the table. After the two sat down,

Gao Cheng spoke first, "Your Majesty summoned me late at night, may I ask what brings you here?"

Yuan Xiu wanted him to speak first, but Yuan Xiu didn't. He simply picked up his wine cup, drank it all by himself, and then sighed with a troubled expression, "Alas, I'm so troubled."

"Oh?"

Gao Cheng chuckled softly, "Why is Your Majesty troubled?"

"The Prime Minister has taken care of the affairs of the court, and he has just led the army to defeat the rebel Erzhu Rong. What troubles does Your Majesty have?"

Yuan Xiu shook his head. "Prime Minister, you certainly have extraordinary talent, but... you lack the capacity to tolerate others. This is what worries me."

Gao Cheng didn't respond, but simply watched Yuan Xiu's performance quietly.

Yuan Xiu also got into the mood. He drank another cup of wine and complained, "Do you know anything about the court assembly?"

"I have heard something about it."

"I originally intended to promote your father, the Prefect of Hengzhou, to the position of Chancellor. After all... the Prefect of Hengzhou is a hero of our time, praised by all, and is also exceptionally capable. He has also done me a great favor. Without the Prefect of Hengzhou, how could I be on the throne of the Son of Heaven?"

"However... General Tian Ce is obstructing this. He controls all the troops in the land, and his formidable enemy, Er Zhu Rong, is still eyeing him covetously in Luoyang. I want to promote the Prefect of Hengzhou to assist General Tian Ce and share his burdens. Isn't this just common sense?"

Gao Cheng nodded, "Human strength is ultimately limited, and Your Majesty's idea is not wrong."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xiu was overjoyed and laughed loudly, "I never expected that you, though young, would understand my thoughts so well. A true friend is hard to find in life! How wonderful! How wonderful! Come, come! Let's drink a cup together!"

The attempt to sow discord seems to be going more smoothly than expected.

With just a few words, he convinced Gao Cheng to accept his explanation.

He also made sure to compliment Cui Jishu.

"Chancellor Cui has taught a fine disciple!"

"Your Majesty flatters me."

After finishing a glass of wine, Yuan Xiu's smile deepened; things seemed to be progressing much more smoothly than he had imagined.

Too……

Everyone hopes their child will become successful.

As a son, Gao Cheng also hopes that his father will become successful. If Gao Huan can go further, Gao Cheng, as the eldest son, will inherit a rich 'legacy' from Gao Huan.

He likes greedy people!
This is the only way to better grasp and control the situation; emperors prefer ministers with 'flaws'.

“Alas, I know that General Tian Ce is a loyal minister of our Great Wei, but how can he be a prime minister with such a narrow mind and no capacity to tolerate others?” “In my heart, the best candidate for prime minister is still the governor of Hengzhou.”

"You are young yet you understand things clearly and are intelligent and clever. This is partly due to the guidance of a famous teacher and partly due to the teachings of your father."

Gao Cheng put down his wine glass.

There was a snap.

"Your Majesty, I am foolish and cannot understand so many convoluted words. Your Majesty may speak plainly."

Suddenly, a loud 'smack' startled Yuan Xiu. Realizing his loss of composure, a flash of anger crossed his eyes.

Damn!

There's not a single good person in the Gao family.

Is this Gao Cheng's way of being a minister?

But since she still needed to use him, she had to suppress her anger and even pretend to praise him.

"Excellent! Truly a fine Xianbei man, straightforward and honest!"

Gao Cheng shook his head.

"Your Majesty, I am not a Xianbei, but a son of the Han people."

Yuan Xiu looked embarrassed. Gao Cheng's lack of respect for him left him speechless. He could only laugh awkwardly twice and say, "It was my oversight. I forgot about the matter of the Governor of Hengzhou going to the Gao family in Bohai to acknowledge his ancestors."

"What I mean is... I want to give the governor of Hengzhou an important position, but General Tian Ce is blocking my way, and I can't do anything about it."

"I summoned you all to the palace in the hope that you could convey my message to your father and ask him to... devise a proper solution. Does the General of Heavenly Strategy intend to monopolize the government? Such an overstepping of authority is not the act of a loyal minister. The Governor of Hengzhou is also a loyal minister of the Great Wei and the General of Heavenly Strategy's elder brother. Surely he would not want the General of Heavenly Strategy's reputation to be tarnished?"

Yuan Xiu's words were still somewhat euphemistic.

A proper solution.

In his eyes, Gao Yu was already a powerful minister.

What is the best way for an emperor to get rid of powerful ministers?

Naturally, it is eliminated by physical means.

"Please speak frankly, Your Majesty."

"Although the governor of Hengzhou suffered heavy losses in the battle against Erzhu Rong, he also gained a group of loyal and valiant men willing to serve him... My intention is to have the governor of Hengzhou incorporate these valiant men into the Imperial Guard to protect me..."

Yuan Xiu had no choice.

This was the only place he could think of to get soldiers.

He couldn't have obtained military power through other channels.

Having said that much, isn't it practically a tacit agreement?

Yuan Xiu fixed his gaze on Gao Cheng, staring intently at him.

He believed that Gao Cheng had no reason to refuse.

He was using his status as the emperor to push Gao Huan to continuously rise in rank.

This is the Emperor himself endorsing him and his son!

Gao Cheng remained silent.

He also looked up at Yuan Xiu, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

This made Yuan Xiu very uncomfortable.

This feeling of being looked at like a commodity.

This kid...

He was furious inside, but he still had to put on a smile.

Gao Cheng poured himself a full glass of wine and then raised his glass.

"Your Majesty, I request a drink. I wonder if Your Majesty would be willing to accept it?"

Yuan Xiu was taken aback.

What does this mean?
Are you rebelling against Tiangang?
It has always been the emperor who has allowed his subjects to drink wine; when have you ever seen a subject allow the emperor to drink wine?
He was stunned for a moment, unable to come to his senses for a while.

Gao Cheng didn't give him a chance to continue being stunned.

Instead, it amplified the tone and intonation.

"What? Does Your Majesty look down on me?"

"Unwilling to drink with me?"

Another 'bang' sounded inside the hall, startling Yuan Xiu out of his daze.

He looked again and saw that Gao Cheng's face had turned cold, his eyes were unfriendly, and his words carried a hint of threat, as if Gao Cheng would teach Yuan Xiu a lesson if he did not cooperate!

"Your Majesty, I, Gao Cheng, request a drink!"

(End of this chapter)