Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 77 The Emperor: My General Yuan has actually done such a thing that shows no respect for the emperor and no respect for the father?
One wanted to bestow a reward, while the other wanted to be modest; to the uninformed, they might have thought it was a perfect harmony between ruler and subject.

After three rounds of back-and-forth, the emperor's affectionate tone suddenly turned cold.

"You've already declined three times; does the Prime Minister intend to defy the imperial decree?"

Cao Cao: "."

Who's going to talk to you about resigning and declining three times?
"I am frightened!"

Cao Cao felt helpless at this moment. If the emperor wanted to break off relations with him, he would directly bring his troops in to threaten him, and he didn't believe the emperor would not comply.

You can't hit a smiling face, so the emperor was delighted and wanted to appoint him as prime minister, treating him with great favor and trust, as if he were the head of all officials.

Then, in order to "show humility," he wants to bring troops in and coerce the emperor? That's outrageous!

One was smiling while hiding a knife, the other harbored ulterior motives. One wanted to block, the other wanted to refuse. As they stood in a stalemate, neither would give way, and the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive.

Just then, someone stepped forward and broke the deadlock.

It was none other than Liu Yao, a member of the Han imperial family and the newly appointed Grand Tutor!

He bowed deeply and reported:

"Your Majesty, I believe that Chancellor Cao is not being modest, for the Han Dynasty still has a Chancellor at this time! It is none other than Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu."

Your Majesty may have forgotten that you previously appointed him as Chancellor in your imperial edict.

"Of course I remember!"

The emperor and Liu Yao exchanged a glance and continued to hold Cao Cao's sleeve affectionately.

"Is the Prime Minister worried about this? There is no need to worry. Our Han Dynasty follows the Qin system, and the Prime Minister is distinguished between left and right."

"My dear minister, you are a trusted and important minister of mine. You should be appointed as the Left Chancellor to keep Yuan Qing in check. What do you think, Cao Qing?"

Cao Cao was well aware that these two were working together, waiting for him to succeed.

Firstly, by taking the opportunity to acknowledge Yuan Shao's position as prime minister, they could then compete with him. Secondly, by dividing themselves into left and right wings, they could weaken Yuan Shao's authority.

However, for Cao Cao, if Cheng Yu did not disappoint him, he would cause trouble in Yuan Shao's backyard of four provinces: Ji, Qing, You, and Bing, making things difficult for him.

Perhaps by acknowledging the position of Right Chancellor, we could give Yuan Shao a way out and prevent him from pursuing us relentlessly.

Moreover, the position of Left Chancellor was enough for him to control the government and hold the country hostage.

Now that he had been forced into this situation by the emperor's bestowal of titles, and not wanting to break off relations over such a matter, Cao Cao had no choice but to accept the imperial edict and bow deeply.

"I am ashamed to accept this!"

"Prime Minister, do not disappoint my expectations."

The emperor was quite satisfied with this. According to Liu Taifu's teachings, Cao Cao could use the emperor to command the feudal lords, and the emperor could also use the feudal lords to control Cao Cao!
By using Yuan Shao to force Cao Cao to accept the reward, he was clearly telling the officials that the Han Dynasty had not yet fallen and that he was not powerless against Cao Cao.

The purpose was to give the ministers confidence, so that they would not be intimidated by Cao Cao's power and dare not speak out.

If the people's hearts change, and even the last remaining court officials abandon him, and no one dares to speak up for him anymore, then the Han dynasty will truly be in decline and exist in name only.

The emperor deeply appreciated Liu Taifu's meticulous instruction.

As for Cao Cao taking the position of Left Chancellor, he didn't show much joy on his face. After all, with the emperor in his hands, the positions of Chancellor, Prime Minister, Grand Marshal, and Grand General were only a matter of time, and he could choose them at will.

Even remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion like Li Le and Han Sianna were granted the title of General of the Four Expeditions, so how much more so Cao Mengde?

Forced into a corner by the emperor, Cao Cao reluctantly accepted the position of Left Chancellor. His gaze darkened slightly as he recalled the purpose of his visit, and his expression instantly shifted to one of loyalty and righteousness, as he offered frank advice on behalf of the emperor. "Does Your Majesty know of the Imperial Seal?"

"Why do you say that, Prime Minister?"

The emperor was surprised, wondering why he had brought this up.

"The Imperial Seal of the State is the treasure of the Son of Heaven."

How could I not know?

"Your Majesty may not know this, but the Imperial Seal is currently in the hands of the traitor Yuan Shu!"
He has been illegally possessing the imperial seal and issuing forged edicts for quite some time!

"What!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor's expression changed drastically, as if he had only just found out.

"Is this really true? I had previously thought he was a loyal and virtuous man of the Han Dynasty and appointed him as a general."

I never imagined they would be such traitors, devoid of both loyalty and righteousness, who defy heaven and earth!

To say that the emperor didn't know the Imperial Seal was in Yuan Shu's hands? Liu Yao had already become Grand Tutor, how could he not know?

The problem is that he can barely take care of himself right now, so how can he care about a piece of jade?
Not to mention the Imperial Seal of the State, even the emperor himself was being held hostage and used as if he were the Imperial Seal of the State.

At this opportune moment, the matter came up. He had been worrying about how to get Cao Cao to fight against the various warlords everywhere in order to weaken Cao Cao and the warlords and consolidate his own position. Now, it was the perfect opportunity to go with the flow.

"Minister Cao, as the current prime minister, how can you sit idly by and watch the national treasure fall into the hands of traitors?"

"I urge you to immediately dispatch troops to attack Yuan Shu and retrieve the Imperial Seal for me."

Cao Cao: ? ? ?
You want me to lead the expedition?
Didn't I tell you last time that I'm being attacked by him?
You insisted back then that he was a general personally appointed by you, a loyal and virtuous man of the Han Dynasty.

Who taught this emperor to be so powerful?!
How can you speak one way to one person and another way to another, changing your attitude faster than turning the pages of a book? Not only do you have no concept of a ruler's word being law, but you even treat your own words as if they were nothing?
Emperor: "."

This document was personally bestowed by Dong Xiangguo, Li Da Sima, Guo Da Jiangjun, Li Le Zhengxi, Han Xian Zhengdong, and the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu.

Let alone Yuan Shu, even when Dong Zhuo was in power, I addressed him as "Grand Tutor" repeatedly. When needed, even the Xiongnu could become loyal subjects of the Han Dynasty.

He later angrily denounced the traitors!

It is true that a ruler's words are not to be taken lightly, but can we take seriously what I said when I was held hostage by you?
Emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty, who had extensive experience being held hostage, was smiling as he looked at his newly appointed "loyal minister of the Han Dynasty," Prime Minister Cao, as if to say: Prime Minister, why haven't you accepted the imperial decree to eliminate the traitor for me yet?
Cao Cao: "."

The previous matter of bestowing honors upon the prime minister was not worth the trouble of tearing apart relations, and with Yuan Shao's relentless pursuit and threats behind him, now that he no longer had these concerns, how could he be controlled by a few words from the emperor?

His gaze darkened slightly, and he answered with a light laugh.

"Your Majesty has misunderstood. Perhaps the General was just confused for a moment, resorting to military campaigns at the drop of a hat. Why did it come to this?"
We can now send an envoy to convey the Emperor's edict, demanding that he present the Imperial Seal of the State. If the General agrees, it will be a good opportunity to vindicate the loyal and virtuous officials of the Han Dynasty and establish them as pillars of the nation.

If they refuse to comply, then we can denounce them as traitors and punish them—it's not too late.

Unlike the earlier, seemingly insignificant rewards, this matter was of utmost importance. The emperor knew that without Cao Cao's consent, his edicts could not be sent out of Cao Cao's camp. The Han dynasty had not yet been restored, and for now, patience was still required.

Therefore, he deeply agreed with Cao Cao's words and readily complied.

"What the Prime Minister says is very true. The General has always been loyal and righteous, and would not do such a shocking thing. We should send an envoy to issue an edict."

Seeing that the emperor had issued the edict in accordance with his instructions and there was no disobedience, Cao Cao was somewhat satisfied.

It wasn't that he didn't want to issue an imperial edict directly, calling on all the warlords to jointly attack Yuan Shu, but the warlords of the time all had their own ulterior motives, so which one would obey the edict?
Previously, Yuan Shu was able to command the various lords to form an alliance to attack Cao Cao because they were all vying for the emperor. But if it were just for a piece of the Imperial Seal, who would attack Yuan Shu, who was at the height of his power at that time?

(End of this chapter)