The spread of rumors from the outside world continued, but Liu Bei never expressed his meaning.

Because he couldn't figure out the specific situation, and Liu Bei didn't make any moves, Zheng Tai didn't know whether he should leave for a while.

He borrowed it and struggled with it, and his family urged him several times, but he couldn't make up his mind to leave.

He was very suspicious that Liu Bei cared about this matter very much, and if the others cared about this matter very much, if everyone tacitly didn't believe in this matter, then if he left, would he be a pure clown soon?

After struggling for so long, he finally decided to release this tactical nuclear bomb, but Liu Bei did not react, and the entire public opinion field in Luoyang was quiet and terrifying.

What the hell is going on?

If you leave suddenly at this time, let alone return to Luoyang at that time, it is not even certain whether the Zheng family's family status can be maintained, so how can you leave at this time?

He held many meetings with Jia Xi and others, exchanging their own information, and finally learned that some of the core personnel within Liu Bei's group had already talked to Liu Bei and must know something.

It's just that each of them is silent, does not reveal the slightest useful information to the outside world, and does not do anything unusual in their behavior, and everything is still going on, so that they have never been able to accurately judge the situation on this side.

And not to mention the other forces, even if it is the royal family, there seems to be no reaction, Xiao Tianzi will not talk about it, now he seems to be a problem-solver, the Empress Dowager Dong is sick and still recuperating, and she does not pay attention to the reaction of the outside world at all.

None of them seemed to care about it.

What's going on here?

They don't get it.

However, by the time they were in the circle, someone had already taken action.

Zhang Rang was not the first person to ask Liu Bei about the news, but after a few days of the incident, Zhang Rang couldn't sit still, and personally visited Liu Bei secretly to ask Liu Bei's true opinion on this matter.

Liu Bei's response to him was also very direct.

"Lao Zhang, you go and prepare, draw up a list, list the names of the eunuchs you think are reliable, and hand it over to me, I want to determine which eunuchs in the palace can be used as soon as possible, and which eunuchs can't, this is very important."

Regarding Liu Bei's request, Zhang Rang was stunned for a moment, and then he was shocked.

"Xuande, you ......"

"Am I not clear enough?"

Liu Bei looked up at Zhang Rang: "Unreliable people can't stay, what I need is trustworthy, or honest and capable of obeying orders, belonging to other people's commands, I don't want it."

Before I take charge of everything, Lao Zhang, you want to help me clean up those disobedient eunuchs, the new palace can't accommodate these insects, and I don't have the idea of continuing to raise them at all. ”

Zhang Rang completely understood what Liu Bei meant.

"You've really decided?"

"Someone decided for me in advance, and if I don't decide, I can't decide, if I don't decide, my subordinates will also help me decide, so I might as well decide it myself."

"Really?"

"How can this be fake?"

Liu Bei waved his hand impatiently: "Go and do something, I'll take this as your first credit, if you can't do it, you will be ready to go back to your hometown and become a rich man." ”

Zhang Rang's heart no longer had any doubts, only a rather urgent sense of urgency.

Before the new emperor ascends the throne, he needs to screen and purge the internal forces in the palace, and those who are reliable and capable will stay, and those who are unreliable will not be able to stay.

This power seems to be in Zhang Rang's hands, but Zhang Rang also knows very well that Liu Bei gave him this matter as a task, and if he can't do it well, he believes that Liu Bei has many ways to punish him.

So he turned and ran.

After running a few steps, Liu Bei's voice sounded behind him.

"Lao Zhang, do a good job, this is the task I gave you because I trust you, this trust is not easy to come by, we have been friends for so many years, and I don't want to do things too much, so, don't let me down, don't live up to my trust in you."

Zhang Rang stopped and looked back at Liu Bei.

"You promised to make me rich and prosperous for the rest of my life."

"Of course."

"Okay."

Zhang Rang ran away.

After that, no one came to ask Liu Bei about the questions.

However, in this turbulent situation, Liu Bei didn't think that other forces could sit still, and the more he calmed down, the more people couldn't hold their breath.

As he expected, within a few days, someone couldn't sit still.

This time it's quite interesting.

It is Situ of the dynasty, Liu Yu, who has just taken office for a long time.

He did not come as an individual, but as a messenger.

After Liu Yu took office as Situ, he started the self-release mode, except for not doing the right thing, except for not breaking the law, he did everything.

After taking office, he moved into the Situ Mansion, took good care of the Situ Mansion, moved out some things that seemed to him to be vulgar, and moved in some things that belonged to the literati and scholars that he liked, such as all kinds of green plants, flowers and plants.

The rockery in the mansion was also repaired, the pond in the mansion was also repaired, and some small fish were stocked in it.

In addition, he also made a special trip to Liu Bei and asked Liu Bei for a few words, because he heard that Liu Bei was good at writing, so he asked Liu Bei to write some of the poems he had written, especially the Shu Dao difficulty, to Liu Bei.

He would take it back to decorate the façade and show off his collection to visitors, as a way to elevate his social status.

Liu Bei readily agreed, so he splashed ink, wrote a few words for Liu Yu with the best quality Qingzhou leather paper, stamped it with a seal, and gave it to Liu Yu.

After Liu Yu took it back, it really hung it in the reception hall, and every time a banquet was held in the house, he had to point it to the guests, saying that it was written by the general Liu Bei himself, and he watched Liu Bei write it with his own eyes to show off.

In addition to being extremely flamboyant in social situations, he stands out for his quiet inaction in politics.

Anyway, the three dukes of the Eastern Han Dynasty have little power, and Lu Zhi is so diligent, mainly because he is Liu Bei's teacher, and he occupies this identity, and no one says that he is not.

But Liu Yu felt that he didn't have to do this.

And he has been busy in Qingzhou for many years, exhausted, physically and mentally exhausted, and now that he is old, he really just wants to enjoy the honor and does not want to do things, so he jumped out of the whirlpool of involution and became the first person in the Han Empire to oppose involution.

Many people are very envious of Liu Yu's living conditions, but some things are indeed not enviable.

So for a long time, Liu Yu appeared in the political life of the Han Empire as a person who had nothing to do with himself, highlighting a person who didn't care about anything, didn't do anything, focused on enjoying life, and became a new star in the social circle of Luoyang City.

But don't really say that Liu Yu is useless.

He is useful.

It is precisely because of his status that he has a high status but no real power, so many people are willing to associate with Liu Yu, and they are also willing to talk to Liu Yu about many things, and even Liu Yu can become a messenger and intermediary between two or three forces.

Speaking of this matter on his behalf, Liu Yu is very familiar with it and very slippery, which is another identity of his in Luoyang City.

And this time he came to meet Liu Bei, Liu Yu did not represent himself, but came to have a preliminary exchange with Liu Bei on behalf of a certain force - rumors about the city of Luoyang.

Of course, Liu Yu himself really wanted to know what was going on here.

When Chao Situ came to visit, of course Liu Bei wanted to be hospitable, and he planned to let people set up a banquet, but Liu Yu refused, and pulled Liu Bei into his office for a private chat.

Xu Chu, who was on duty, wanted to enter to protect Liu Bei, but Liu Bei shook his head, so Xu Chu stood outside and did not enter.

However, his attention was very focused, and he was always in the room, just in case.

Liu Yu didn't care about this, and the purpose of his coming here was not to talk to Liu Bei.

"Xuande, there is no one else here, we are all clan relatives, all surnamed Liu, I will get straight to the point with some words, I want to know, what is going on with this rumor?"

"Did the Empress Dowager invite you here?"

Liu Bei smiled and poured Liu Yu a drink.

Liu Yu didn't hide it, and nodded directly.

"The Empress Dowager didn't care at first, but Dong Chong seemed to be more concerned, and personally went to the Empress Dowager to tell her about it, so the Empress Dowager asked me to ask you, what is going on."

Dong Zhong?

It's kind of interesting.

Liu Bei paused, smiled and nodded.

"The Empress Dowager has been recuperating recently, she shouldn't have let these mundane things interfere with her, some people are too uninteresting, I thought he repented, but I didn't expect that he was still a thief."

Liu Yu picked up the cup and took a sip of the drink in the cup.

Sweet.

"Xuande, it's not a big deal, he can't turn the sky."

"It's still more important, I've been my enemy three times and twice, even if I want to let him go, my subordinates won't agree."

Liu Bei smiled and asked: "Of course, answering your question is also very important, this matter has nothing to do with me, it is Zheng Tai who spreads rumors." ”

"Jung Tae ......"

Liu Yu read his name over again.

"Why would he do that?"

"Because I want to promote the government council and the system of eliminating officials, this system will weed out a lot of incompetent and incompetent officials, among them, there will be many mediocre people who are tall but have little practical ability, and Zheng Tai and others think that this policy will harm their interests.

So they came to me and asked me how to compensate them, for example, how to compensate for taking down a county guard and state minister, and how to compensate for taking down a county order.

Many times before, I needed their support, so I had to exchange some benefits with them, and this time I didn't need their help, but they still habitually wanted to ask me for something.

I don't give it, they are in a hurry, these days, looking for people everywhere to unite and want to deal with me, looking for Jian Shuo, and also looking for Dong Chong, I want to raise troops against me, but no one responds to them. ”

As soon as Liu Bei's words fell, Liu Yu's face turned dark, and he slapped on the table in front of him with a snap, almost knocking down the cup on the table.

"Bastard thing! How can a national event be such a child's play?! ”

After being angry, Liu Yu also looked at Liu Bei angrily.

"Xuande, this kind of thing is not right, why did you promise them before? I don't think you need the help of these people to push for reform with your ability, do you? ”

"Not anymore, but it was needed before."

Liu Bei shook his head and said: "You should also know that it is difficult to be in government, a few years ago, the world was still a state where government decrees did not come out of Henan Yin, and no one implemented the imperial decrees at all, just a look, there were not enough people to respond to me to help me, and I relied on my own promotion, so I don't know when it will be successful." ”

Liu Yu was silent for a moment, still very angry.

"Even so, you can't get used to this group of people like this, now I know why many people in Luoyang City are saying that except for you Liu Xuande, the ancient literature school is no different from the modern literature school, without you, they may not be the current literature school! What a bastard! ”

Liu Bei smiled.

"This ...... I'm speechless. ”

"Of course you should be speechless! Otherwise, there won't be so many people in Ruoyang City who want to promote Huang Lao's magic change, they only believe in you, not in the ancient literature school, you dare to say that you have no responsibility? ”

Liu Yu said dissatisfiedly: "I know that you are busy with affairs and under a lot of pressure, but there are some things that you should also have your own persistence!" How can you be in the same league as those vile villains? ”

"This time I insisted, insisted on not compromising, and then, they spread rumors against me, although no one said this matter on the surface, but secretly, it should have set off storms, and I was also helpless."

Liu Bei sighed and said: "This matter has brought me a lot of trouble, and it is even difficult to end, Situ Gong, you say, is this my problem?" ”

Liu Yu pursed his lips, he also felt helpless about this, and he looked at Liu Bei.

"I remember that there was a time before, and there was news that you were going to rebel and plot for the throne from the current literary school, how did that time calm down?"

"That's the problem of the modern literary school itself, and I cover it up with the dispute between modern and ancient literature, which is a very fortunate thing, but it is indispensable, and it is completely different from this time."

Liu Bei shook his head and said: "Time has passed, many things are very unavoidable even for me, Situ Gong, if there were no rumors this time, many things might be able to continue, but once the rumors broke out, the situation would be completely different." ”

"I've also heard some private discussions, and it seems like a lot of people have opinions about it."

Liu Yu glanced at Liu Bei, looked at his complexion, and said slowly: "Xuande, how are you going to deal with this matter?" And Jung Tae, what are you going to do with him? ”

"Zheng Tai did this kind of thing, he was completely against me, trapping me in unkindness and injustice, he and his family, I will not let go, and I will not let go of all the people involved in this matter."

Liu Bei said slowly: "As for how to solve this matter, alas...... Situ Gong, if you want to solve this matter, I'm afraid, I can only use the means I don't want to use the most. ”

"What do you mean?"

"I think I need to communicate this matter directly with the Empress Dowager and discuss it with her."

Liu Bei shook his head and said: "If the Empress Dowager is willing to cooperate, this matter can be truly resolved, but before that, I still need to do a final purge of the court." ”

Cleaning?

Liu Yu remembered that he had heard some news about Liu Bei's cleaning of the court before, and every time, there were always groups of unlucky people who lost their heads.

Liu Yu is a conservative, he likes gentle drizzle rather than torrential rain, and does not appreciate such violent methods.

But he also knew that every time Liu Bei purged the court, there was a legitimate reason, and there were many people who supported it, this time...... I'm afraid so.

Anyway, if Liu Bei wants to do something to Zheng Tai, he will not object, unless Liu Bei wants to expand it, then he may not be able to accept it.

"Then how should I explain this matter to the Empress Dowager? Do you go and say it yourself? ”

Liu Yu worried: "After the Empress Dowager fell ill, her body and bones have been relatively weak, I heard from the doctors in the palace that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill this time, and the symptoms were quite strange, and I don't know if she can be cured."

This time the matter is very important, if you are a little careless, the outcome is unpredictable, you want to discuss directly with the Queen Mother, I have no objection, but you still don't let the Queen Mother worry too much. ”

"That's nature."

Liu Bei nodded.

Of course, he won't let Mrs. Dong worry too much, as long as Mrs. Dong can think about it, everything will be fine.

(End of chapter)