Chapter 2136: The Final Battle

  With a general decision made, all that's left is to issue an imperial edict in the name of the emperor.

  Liu Xuan, in addition to wanting Sun Ce to hold off the Yellow Turbans' southern advance, proposed this young man, also to see if his own tempered Six Seals could suppress Sun Ce to some extent.

  Just like Lü Bu got his seal and connected with the dragon energy of the entire Han Dynasty, I wonder what would happen to Sun Ce? Would he also be connected together or would it not work at all?

  He knew that there was still a part of dragon energy in Sun Ce's place, and the only variable was this dragon energy. Who knows what strange things would happen at that time?

  He thought for a moment about the things that hadn't happened and found it hard to come to a conclusion. Watching several senior officials of the imperial court leave, Liu Xuan also walked out of the Jin Hua Hall.

  Looking up, the moon was already high in the sky, and Liu Xuan only then realized that it was very late. The palace gate might have been closed long ago, but those people didn't need to worry about not being able to get out. Zhong Yue knew that the ministers had come to the palace for a meeting, so he must have left the door open. Since these ministers were still here, Zhong Yue also couldn't rest.

  It can be seen that being a Huangmen Shilang is not an easy position either.

  Raising his eyes to glance at the pitch-black night sky, Liu Xuan suddenly asked Cao Zhen: "By the way, Yuan Yi seems to be closer to Yuan Shao?"

  Cao Jie hesitated for a moment, but still replied quickly: "That position of Yangzhou governor that Yuan Yi was appointed to, was actually requested by Yuan Shao on his behalf." Cao Jie may not be very old, but he knew that serving the emperor wasn't just about pouring tea and water, dressing him, or running errands. He might not have any insight into state affairs, nor did he understand anything about military matters, but when it came to the interpersonal relationships between officials in the imperial court, he had to be extremely familiar with them.

  If he himself might not be able to achieve this, Liu Xuan found a good teacher for Cao Jue - Zhang Rang!

  Just before entering winter, Liu Xuan said to Zhang Rang as if unintentionally: "Cao Jie is a good young man, you should guide him more in the future."

  That old eunuch immediately understood the emperor's meaning, and since the emperor not only did not pursue his past crimes but also gradually restored his identity and status. Zhang Rang, who is currently serving as the Grand Chamberlain, although his power is not as strong as it was in the past, is still a top figure in the inner palace, living a relatively carefree life. Now that the emperor has given an order, he naturally wants to do his best to accomplish it - he understands who gave him all this.

  Cao Cao followed Zhang Rang to learn during this period, the most important thing to learn was the interpersonal relationship within the imperial court. The young eunuch still remembered that on the first day, Zhang Rang told him several names: Cao Cao, Lü Bu, Xun Yu, Xun You, Guo Jia, Liu Ye, Liu Bei, and Zhang Liao!

  "These few people are the emperor's trusted followers. In the future, if you want to live a good life by the emperor's side, remember that these few people absolutely cannot be offended!"

  Apart from being heavy-handed as emperors, these few men were truly pragmatic rulers.

  Lü Bu, Cao Cao and Zhang Liao have troops in their hands. Liu Bei is the Emperor's uncle and also controls the Imperial Guards (both of Liu Bei's sworn brothers are among the Imperial Guards, this fact cannot be hidden from Zhang Rang).

  Xun Yu and Xun You each took charge of one department, while the six departments under the emperor's promotion had already surpassed the nine ministers in status, and also weakened the power of the three dukes. Among them, Xun Yu was in charge of people's livelihood, and Xun You was in charge of the promotion and demotion of officials. It can be said that the three most important parts of the imperial court were all controlled by the emperor.

  Since Xun Yu or Sheng was appointed as the Minister of Personnel, the imperial court basically followed the emperor's words. Whatever the emperor wanted, the officials in the imperial court could no longer oppose him. Not to mention other things, just the Ministry of Personnel being controlled by the emperor, if they still wanted to promote their own confidants, they couldn't afford to go against the emperor.

  Otherwise, if the emperor is annoyed, not only will he be dismissed from office, but also his close associates will eventually be eliminated. The Ministry of Officials has established a rule that every year there will be an assessment, and based on the performance of officials in the past year, it will be decided whether to promote or dismiss them. Those who perform poorly will either be fined or demoted, and if they do too badly, they may even lose their official position.

  Now the imperial court has gradually passed that breath, and it is also not concerned about the flow of some small officials, because with the imperial court controlling the northwest, a part of scholars have also seen that the imperial court's momentum is not exhausted, they are also willing to continue serving under the imperial court... At least as an official under the imperial court, the rank is higher than in local areas, and the treatment can be slightly better.

  More importantly, the imperial court will not owe any wages or rations. Whatever is supposed to be issued will be issued in full. Everyone knows that the area around Chang'an has had two consecutive years of good harvests, and the imperial court indeed has this financial backing.

  Most of them are just trying to make a living, and since the imperial court treats people well, naturally there are those who want to come.

  So Liu Xuan had enough confidence to carry out dismissals and promotions, allowing officials to start circulating, so that the entire court would not become stagnant from top to bottom.

  These principles, Cao Pi only half understood, Zhang Rang didn't expect him to fully comprehend, just wanted him to remember the key people he mentioned.

  "Moreover, Taifu Yuan and the three dukes have overly ambitious hearts, each with their own factions backing them, which is not pleasing to Your Majesty. In the future, when interacting with these people, be cautious and don't get too close."

  Liu Xuan's attitude towards these people seems to be very respectful and courteous at first glance, but Zhang Rang had long since discerned that if there were suitable replacements available, the Emperor would have already replaced them. Now that he was instructing Cao Jie, he simply told her everything in one go.

  Having finished talking about the situation in the imperial court, he then told Cao about the situation of the various vassals throughout the land.

  "The governors of Yi Province, Liu Yan and Jing Province, Liu Biao, as well as the administrator of Yanzhou, Liu Dai! Although these men are relatives of the imperial family, judging from their behavior, I fear they have long since harbored treasonous intentions. When speaking of them in front of Your Majesty, it would be best not to mention anything about being 'one family' so as not to displease you."

  Cao Guan nodded, originally he had a good impression of the concept of one family. Because after entering the character, he got Cao Teng's promotion and help, at that time he felt that only one family is best for one family.

  Later, he met Cao Cao, who was also good to him. Although they didn't meet often, Cao would frequently ask about his life, making him feel very close.

  He didn't expect Zhang Rang to teach him that "family members can't be fully trusted either", which made it difficult for him to accept for a moment. However, Cao Zhi had one good thing about him - even if he didn't understand, he wouldn't directly ignore Zhang Rang's teachings, but instead remembered them in his heart and thought slowly.

  "Except for these few people, more than half of the world has already fallen into the hands of the Yuan family."

  Specifically, Cao Ang also listened to Zhang Yan's analysis and learned that although the Yuan family occupied several states and seemed to be three brothers each occupying one side, in fact it was just a competition between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, and Yuan Tan... was just a figurehead.

  It was because of this teaching that when Liu Xuan asked today, Cao Kuo could answer for the first time. After listening to it, Liu Xuan smiled: "Zhang Rang's teachings are not bad, you can go with him more often when you have nothing to do, he is estimated to be short-lived, and you can learn as much as you can in this period of time!"

  Liu Xuan had also considered teaching Zhang Rang to cultivate, but this old man's body was really too weak, and even if he started cultivating, it was unlikely that he would be able to succeed.

  Besides, Liu Xuan didn't have a very good impression of Zhang Rang. The things he had done in the past made him wary. Liu Xuan spared his life only because he had been in the palace for a long time and was experienced in many things. Liu Xuan wanted to use his experience to get through the most difficult period. Now that the court is under control, Zhang Rang's role is no longer important, and keeping him is useless. Allowing him to enjoy his old age is already an act of great kindness.

  It's Cao Jie, this kid, if properly cultivated, can become the number one person in the inner palace in the future and help me deal with some trivial matters in the inner palace.

  It seems that Cao Guo is still in a state of rote memorization, but there's no rush, as this kind of thing isn't something a young person can grasp quickly anyway. Being able to serve as a portable reference is already sufficient.

  "Sun Ce is now under Yuan Shu's command, and if he is appointed as the Governor of Yangzhou, it would be equivalent to increasing Yuan Shu's power... Yuan Shao will definitely not agree..."

  He rubbed his chin, and Liu Xuan suddenly found that he had inadvertently ignited a barrel of gunpowder. Perhaps in the Yangtze River area, before the Yellow Turbans could even get there, Yuan Shu and Yuan Yu would already be at each other's throats - of course, to avoid people saying unpleasant things, Yuan Shu wouldn't take action personally. With this imperial edict from the court, Yuan Shu also had a suitable reason and excuse.

  Sun Ce and Yuan Yi seem unrelated at first glance, but in reality, this was also the formal confrontation between Yuan Shu and his brothers Yuan Shao.

  "This is also good!" Liu Xuan thought for a moment and felt that this result, although not intentionally brought about by himself, was better than anything else if it were to develop in this direction.

  Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's forces are too powerful, even if I have the confidence to destroy them later, it won't be an overnight thing. If we can weaken their strength now, that would be a good thing too.

  "It's those Yellow Turban bandits, this time it seems no one can stop them."

  Sun Ce and Yuan Yu started fighting, and it's estimated that they won't be able to join the battle against the Yellow Turbans for a while. However, Liu Xuan thought that the Yellow Turbans would not dare to attack the south because if they turned their heads southward, it would be equivalent to forcing Yuan Yu and Sun Ce to unite. Compared to letting them fight each other to the death, it's better to let the Yellow Turban army wait for an opportunity on the side.

  However, even so, the plan to prevent the Yellow Turbans from going south can be considered a success, although the process was a bit off track, but the result is still correct.

  Anyway, as long as the power of the Yellow Turbans is controlled, it's fine. But Liu Xuan suddenly had a feeling: "The battle with the Yellow Turbans will probably be a long-term one, and won't end in just a short time!"

  However, he had just felt this way when he suddenly heard a chaotic running sound coming from behind him. He turned his head and saw Zhong Yu leading Liu Ye rushing towards him in a hurry, shouting "Your Majesty!" as they ran.

  Stop in his tracks and wait for the two to approach, Liu Ye didn't even have time to catch his breath, and immediately said: "Your Majesty, the Heavenly Master Dao of Hanzhong has also rebelled!"