Chapter 56: The courtyard is empty, even the dogs don't want to stay

  On the second day, Han Emperor Ling of Liu Hong, who had not attended court for a long time, was brought to the court by Zhang Rang's deception. At that time, Zhang Rang told Liu Hong: "Your Majesty can attend court today, and there is a scholar from Shangdang, Zhao Xing, who will present you with fine wine and countless treasures!" When he heard that someone had come to give him money, Liu Hong's eyes lit up, and he lazily came from the North Palace to the South Palace.

  Liu Hong sat listlessly on the dragon throne, gazing at the equally listless court officials, and for a moment he didn't know what to ask. It had been over a month since the last morning court session.

  The civil and military officials standing on the platform were like clay or wooden statues of gods in a temple, each with their mouths closed and an air of dignity. General Fan Ling looked left and right, finding this stalemate unbearable, so he cleared his throat and stepped forward to report: "Your minister Fan Ling has something to report!"

  Anyway, Liu Hong lazily asked: "What is General Fan going to report?"

  "I have heard that in Ji Province, Julu County, there are three brothers named Zhang Jue, Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang who are spreading heresy among the people, using sorcery and spells to heal illnesses everywhere, with a tendency to gather crowds and start a rebellion. I implore Your Majesty to dispatch heavenly troops to capture these evil-doers, mete out just punishment, and eradicate the source of calamity!" said Fan Ling.

  "Hmph, it turns out that General Fan is indeed a person who likes to catch wind and grasp shadows!" said He Jin, the Imperial Secretary, Director of Works, and Governor of Henan, with a scornful smile. "They are just some rustic villagers pretending to be spirits and cheating people out of their money, yet you want the imperial court to dispatch a large army to suppress them? Isn't that like using an axe to kill a chicken?"

  The Emperor Ling was worried that the Xiongnu chieftain Zhao Xing had not yet arrived to pay homage, and did not have the heart to care about Zhang Jue and his followers. He waved his hand and said: "Such trivial matters need not be reported again; let each province handle them on their own!"

  Zi Kong Zhang Wen saw Ta Wei Fan Ling eating in the hall, and hastily stood up to report, saying "Minister Zhang Wen has a matter to report!"

  "Zhang Sikong, please speak!" Liu Hong took the opportunity to get rid of Fan Ling's entanglement.

  Recently, five wine shops suddenly appeared in Luoyang City, called Zui Xian Lou, which made a lot of money without any scruples. I think we should punish those wine shops and maintain fair trade among businesses, severely cracking down on hoarding and profiteering. Zhang Wen said with hatred.

  Zhao Xing didn't provoke Zhang Wen, so why did Zhang Wen harbor such deep resentment towards him? There was indeed a hidden reason that couldn't be spoken of to outsiders. Zhang Yang, who had been killed by Guan Yu the year before, and Zhang Wen both came from the Zhang family of Shangdang. Now, the Zhang family of Shangdang had been directly destroyed by Zhao Xing and were hiding outside Yanmen Pass, barely scraping by. As a descendant of the Zhang family, Zhang Wen couldn't help but want to flay Zhao Xing alive.

  Zhang Rang heard this and secretly called out "not good", hastily stepped forward and shouted: "Reporting to the Emperor, there is a xiangyuan filial piety from Shangdang, the eldest son of Zhao Xing, the county magistrate, who has brought new brewed fine wine outside the palace and is waiting to see Your Majesty!"

  "Oh, it's rare for Zhao Xing to have such a loyal and patriotic heart, quickly announce his promotion!" Liu Hong was also afraid that Zhang Wen would scare Zhao Xing away with this commotion.

  Under the leadership of Xiao Huangmen, Zhao Xing was brought to the imperial court. Before coming, Zhang Rang specially arranged for a small eunuch to give Zhao Xing a crash course in palace etiquette. Therefore, after Zhao Xing entered the imperial court, he calmly and confidently knelt three times and kowtowed nine times to the emperor, without giving anyone a handle to criticize him.

  "Is this young man Zhao Xing from the Upper Party?" Liu Hong saw that Zhao Xing was young, with a jade-like face and an elegant demeanor, and he immediately had a very good impression of him.

  Surrounded by the civil and military officials in the imperial court, Zhao Xing was calm and composed, his face unchanged, not a normal behavior for a young man.

  Zhang Wen saw this and came up with a plan, so he loudly rebuked: "Zhao Xing, the arrogant and unruly rebel from Shangdang, how dare you be so presumptuous in front of our emperor, as if no one is present!"

  "This is a vicious remark!" Zhao Xing secretly cursed, "I'd rather die than be afraid of you! I've been through countless battles and seen many grand scenes. As for Han Emperor Liu Hong, he's just a piece of trash, I'm not afraid of him at all!" However, he quickly reacted and loudly proclaimed his innocence, saying: "A humble subject like myself dares not meet the emperor, my heart is filled with fear, my limbs are weak, and I dare not sweat. Please forgive me for my disrespect, Your Majesty!"

  This is a beautiful speech! Although it's suspected of plagiarism, it made Liu Hong feel very happy in his heart. Look at him, when he saw me, this little guy was so scared that he didn't even dare to sweat. When others see me, they're sweating like rain, but this little guy is more thorough, directly not daring to sweat!

  "I think you're new to the imperial court, although your behavior is a bit unorthodox, it doesn't harm the overall atmosphere, so I'll pardon you!" Liu Hong said with a smile, waiting for Zhao Xing to voluntarily offer his treasure.

  "Humble subject thanks the Son of Heaven for not being punished! Humble subject has just obtained a fine wine from Shangdang, named Changhe Daqu, specially brought to offer to Your Majesty, wishing that Your Majesty's benevolence will spread throughout the world and your good fortune and longevity will be boundless!"

  "Oh, is it the Changhe Daqu that's been sold at Zui Xian Lou recently?" Liu Hong asked with interest.

  "Compared to the ones sold in Zui Xian Lou, it's even more fragrant and lingering, crystal clear and transparent!" Zhao Xing this time had brought out the best Long He Da Qu, which was usually only served to Guan Da Ge, Jia Yu and a few other sworn brothers, nobody else had ever seen it!

  "Father, quickly order the palace staff to bring that top-grade fine wine, I want to share it with all of you, my dear wives!" Liu Hong gave the command.

  "The humble subject still has a matter to report to Your Majesty!" Zhao Xing hastily interjected.

  "Oh, what else is there?" Although Liu Hong knew that Zhao Xing was coming to give him money, he still put on airs and pretended not to know.

  "The humble subject's management of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion has earned considerable wealth. Now, hearing that our emperor is unable to sleep at night and forgets to eat due to the refugees from the great drought in Hebei, I have mustered up the courage to offer a tribute of 10,000 taels of gold to our emperor, barely exerting my strength as a subject!" Zhao Xing said humbly, but in his heart he wanted to scold Liu Hong and Zhang Rang to death. "I'm asking about your ancestors! It's easy for me to make money, isn't it? All of a sudden, I had to take out one-third of my wealth, if this were to recruit soldiers and buy horses, I could assemble an army of tens of thousands!"

  "What, 10,000 taels of gold?" The people in the court were shocked when they first heard the number reported by Zhao Xing! Even officials like Sītú Cuī Liè, Tàifù Yuán Wěi and Tàiwèi Fàn Líng had bought their positions with their own money. If one could buy an official position with 10,000 taels of gold, they could buy all the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers!

  "Good! Good! Good!" Liu Hong was overjoyed when he heard that Zhao Xing had given him such a large gift. "All of you, my dear officials, Zhao Xing has shown such loyalty to the emperor and dedication to the country, I must reward him heavily to show the world! But I don't know how to reward him?"

  "I think, when you were appointed as the inner yellow gate, you were an assistant to the food supervisor!" Zhang Wen spoke out first in a loud voice. In his heart, he sneered coldly: "You're not good at brewing wine, are you? Now I suggest that you go to the kitchen in the backyard, and next time I'll find an opportunity to deal with you!"

  "I think it's not right. I've heard that Zhao Xing is a talented person with both literary and military skills, and at his young age, he can already ride horses and hold spears to help the local government eliminate bandits and thieves. He's a valuable talent for the country, and putting him in prison would be a waste!" Finally, He Jin stood up and said something reasonable after taking advantage of Zhao Xing.

  "Oh, Zhao Xiaoyan actually has such talent. What reward should be given according to your words?" Liu Hong asked He Jin with a soft hand.

  "He thought that Zhao Xing should be appointed as Pingbei General and Governor of Bingzhou, so that he could take care of the northern border of the Great Han Dynasty!" He Jin said according to what Zhao Xing had hinted at when he sent gifts.

  "All right! Accurate! In the past, Emperor Wu of Han did not make Ho Qubing a general because of his young age. Now I should follow his example and enfeoff Zhao Xing for the great territory of Han!" Finally, Emperor Ling of Han Liu Hong made the decision.

  The emperor has spoken, and the ministers dare not oppose it. After all, if they provoke Zhao Xing, they may lose their positions in a few days, bought by Zhao Xing's money! The ministers have seen that the young man in the hall is not a soft persimmon, but a real little overlord with courage and strategy.

  "The morning court meeting ends here today. All the beloved officials will follow me to the North Palace together and drink fine wine!" Liu Hong quickly ended the court meeting and rushed out after seeing a group of little eunuchs carrying large and small jars of fine wine coming in.

  A group of civil and military officials, including Zhao Xing, who was still in the imperial court, followed Liu Hong. Zhang Rang came over to talk to him before he left, telling him to stay in Chang'an for a few days and wait for the general's seal, ceremonial attire, and other items to be made, which would be sent over immediately afterwards.

  Zhao Xing stood up helplessly, gazing at the empty and desolate imperial court. A wave of inexplicable sorrow welled up in his heart. This was what they called the imperial court! He didn't know whether it was the high-ranking officials playing with the entire court or if the entire court was fooling around with those high-ranking officials. Suddenly, Zhao Xing recalled a classic TV series he had watched in his past life, "The Legend of the Condor Hero", which had a famous line: "We have someone above us!" This time, attending the imperial court really proved that saying true: With someone backing you from above, being an official is easy; without anyone backing you, even dogs wouldn't bother!

  Others may not be able to climb up to the third-grade official position even if they spend their whole lives, but Zhao Xing spent money to bribe Zhang Rang, He Jin and others, and then gave a gift to the emperor, and he became the General of Pacifying the North! This is the sorrow of the chaotic Eastern Han Dynasty, and it is also the blessing of the common people under the protection of "General of Pacifying the North" Zhao Xing in the future.