Chapter 238 Prime Minister Zhuge, you are too presumptuous!

Chapter 238: Prime Minister Zhuge, you are too presumptuous!

Xuchang, inside the palace city.

Xilulu~
The chariot with the great banner of the King of Wei upright stopped outside the Chengguang Palace.

Tread~
Cao Mengde, wearing royal robes and a crown, with a long sword on his waist, slowly got out of the car.

He looked back, his face gloomy...

In the distance, Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu were leading Zhao Yun, heading towards Chengguang Hall step by step.

He is the King of Wei and has made great contributions to the court, so he can naturally ride in the palace. Others have not made any contributions to the court or the Han Dynasty, so they can only walk step by step in this palace.

Gentlemen Kong Ming and Zhou Gongjin!

No matter how smart and resourceful these two are, what can they do? Since they have entered the court, they must honestly abide by the rules of the court and the rules of Cao Mengde!

Cao Cao smiled coldly and turned to Chengguang Hall: "Enter the court!"

……

"The emperor has issued an edict, summoning Jiangdong Grand Commander Zhou Yu and Jingxiang famous scholar Zhuge Liang to the palace!"

In the Chengguang Hall, all officials gathered and the emperor ascended the throne.

The eunuch's rhythmic voice of announcing the decree resounded inside and outside the Chengguang Palace.

Tap tap tap~
Two figures slowly stepped into the hall.

Wow~
All the officials in the court turned their heads at the same time, like the waves on the river.

All eyes were instantly focused on these two people.

"I am Zhou Yu, the Grand Commander of Jiangdong..."

"Nanyang Savage, Zhuge Liang..."

"Greetings to the Emperor, may your Majesty live forever!"

Zhou Lang of Jiangdong, Zhou Gongjin.

Mr. Wolong, Zhuge Liang.

"It is said that if one of the two, Crouching Dragon and Phoenix, is found, the world can be at peace. Is this Crouching Dragon?"

"The song is wrong, Zhou Lang Gu, this Zhou Gongjin is indeed the most romantic figure in Jiangdong."

"These two are both talented people with extraordinary wisdom and strategies. They are truly the best of their time. Their reputation is well-deserved!"

"Back then, at the Battle of Red Cliff, it was these two who joined forces..."

"Cough cough!"

All the civil and military officials in the court looked at the two people in the middle of the hall, and subconsciously whispered to each other and talked about it.

These two are really too famous.

Of course, their fame was mainly due to the fire in the Battle of Red Cliff. That fire burned 800,000 Cao's troops. There was a blood feud between the King of Wei and these two people!
Many officials secretly turned their heads and looked at the figure carrying a sword entering the hall, but the other party seemed unmoved.

The few Han officials were breathing rapidly, their eyes fixed on Zhuge Liang...

The Han officials had already received news about why these two people came to the court today.

If today's event is accomplished, even if the thief Cao still controls the court, at least from now on, those who are loyal to the Han Dynasty can truly gain a foothold in the court.

"Liang, on the orders of the King of Chu and the King of Wu, has specially presented this memorial to Your Majesty," he said, raising a scroll of bamboo slips above his head.

Liu Xie on the throne took a deep breath. Zhuge Liang's words were vague. Liu Wu had already informed him about today's matter. He naturally knew what was written in the bamboo slips.

shuh~
His Majesty Cao Mengde, who had kept his eyes slightly closed, suddenly opened them with a gloomy look in his eyes.

"Send it up."

Liu Wu took the bamboo slips, glanced at them briefly, and then spoke directly: "The two kings of Wu and Chu submitted a letter of recommendation, saying that since Prime Minister Cao took over the position of prime minister, he has been working day and night, rising early and sleeping late, and fighting everywhere, which is extremely busy and hard."

"Now that Prime Minister Cao has been given the title of King of Wei, he is increasingly worried about state affairs. The two kings believe that the King of Wei is the pillar of the Han Dynasty and should not be overworked. So they recommend Zhuge Kongming as the Prime Minister of Han to take over the position of Prime Minister of the King of Wei and help relieve the Prime Minister's worries..."

"My fellow ministers... and the King of Wei, what do you think?"

The huge court was suddenly silent.

There were many witnesses in Cao's army when Liu Wu used Yu Jin and Cao Ren to force Cao Cao to give up his position as prime minister at Hangu Pass, so the secret could not be concealed at all.

Even before Cao Cao's army arrived outside the city of Xuchang, the officials in Xuchang had already received the news through their own channels.

At that time,

I don't know how many civil and military officials were stunned.
I don't know how many Han officials were so excited that they burst into tears.

I don't know how many ministers who were attached to Cao Cao were in a state of confusion...

Even though they had known the news for a long time, when they heard it from the emperor himself, they were still shocked beyond words. They knew very well what the position of Han Xiang meant.

these years,
Cao Cao was able to gather such great momentum and annex various parties with justification, and he received a lot of help from the prime ministers of the Han Dynasty.

Now, does the King of Wei really want to give up his position as prime minister?

Once this is handed over,
This is tantamount to making it clear to the world that the Han court is no longer a place where the King of Wei can do as he pleases.

This was tantamount to admitting to the world that there was a force in the Han court that dared to oppose the King of Wei.

Some people might even think that King Wei's power in the court has begun to decline!

In this way, wouldn't it be possible for those people and forces who had already bowed to the King of Wei to revive again...

As excited as the Han officials were, the officials who were attached to Cao Cao were also worried...

Liu Zilie was so sinister. How could he force the King of Wei to give up the position of Prime Minister of Han? He was simply trying to punish all the "Cao Party" in the world!
crunch~
The veins on Cao Cao's hand, which was gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist, were almost popping out.

He stared at Zhuge Liang with a fake smile: "Haha, thank you for the concern of the two kings of Wu and Chu. Both kings are loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty. Their plans and concerns are indeed selfless and they are wholeheartedly for the country..."

Who in the court could fail to hear the sarcasm and treachery in Cao Mengde's words?
"But..." Cao Cao changed the subject: "Han Feizi said, 'Prime ministers must come from the prefectures and counties, and brave generals must come from the ranks.' If you don't even have the ability to govern a prefecture, how can you be a prime minister and govern the country?"

"Since the two kings have recommended Mr. Zhuge to be the prime minister, you must have served as the governor of a prefecture or county, and have done great things for the local area! May I ask what position you hold now, Mr. Zhuge?"

Cao Cao did promise Liu Wu to hand over the position of Prime Minister of Han to Zhuge Liang.

He really didn't intend to break his promise...

But he didn't know how much thought and effort he had put in to secure the position of prime minister. Now Zhuge Liang wanted to take his position without paying any price. How could Cao Mengde be willing to accept this?

Zhuge Liang looked calm: "Liang is a commoner."

When Liu Bei occupied the four counties in southern Jing, Zhuge Liang still had the title of Military Advisor and Lieutenant General. Now that Liu Bei's foundation had long since collapsed, he naturally became a commoner without any official position.

Cao Cao's face turned cold: "Commoner? Sir, are you kidding? How can a commoner become a prime minister?"

"King Wei, what you said is wrong..." Zhuge Liang looked directly into Cao Cao's eyes: "In the past, Wu Ding worshipped Fu Yue in the building, King Wen met Lu Shang in the Wei River, Baili Xi was just a shepherd slave, and Sun Shuao lived in seclusion on the seashore..."

"These people all became famous prime ministers from humble backgrounds. Why did the King of Wei say that common people cannot be prime ministers?"

"Besides, the prime minister is the head of all officials and a model for ministers... A prime minister must not only know how to govern the country, but also know how to serve the emperor and father with loyalty!"

All the ministers in the hall who were loyal to Cao Cao bowed their heads.

Only those Han officials had a hint of sarcasm in their lowered eyes...

Serve your king and father with loyalty?
Since Cao Mengde welcomed the emperor to Xuchang, he has monopolized the government, bullied the emperor, and even strangled Concubine Dong, who was pregnant with the emperor's child, in front of the emperor.

Which of these things has anything to do with the word "loyalty"?

When Zhuge Liang said in front of Cao Cao that a prime minister must be loyal to his emperor and father, wasn't he slapping Cao in the face in front of all the emperor and his ministers?

"You, you are making excuses!" Cao Cao's face flushed. Zhuge Liang was mocking him in public, how could he not hear it?

But Kong Ming used the moral principles between the ruler and his subjects to pressure him, and he couldn't refute it openly.

He could only hold his breath in his heart: "No matter what, the position of Han Prime Minister is of great importance. How can it be played like this? Kong Ming can go to the court to observe the government first. I will temporarily take charge of the Prime Minister's affairs for you. When you are familiar with government affairs, I will take the position of Prime Minister with you."

"If the name is not right, then the words will not flow. Since the King of Wei has already said that he will give up the position of Prime Minister, why is there talk of temporarily taking over the post of Prime Minister?"

"You are just a commoner, and you have never governed a place. How can you suddenly become the prime minister?!"

"Haha, could it be that the King of Wei is reluctant to give up the power of the imperial court and is unwilling to leave?"

"Zhuge! How dare you..."

In the court, the two men exchanged sharp words, neither of them giving in.

The entire court was stunned.

The last time someone dared to mock Cao Cao in front of all the civil and military officials in the court was Ni Heng.

of course,

The grass on Ni Heng's grave is probably almost as tall as a person.

boom!
A loud noise suddenly came from the throne.

Chengguang Hall fell silent instantly, and everyone looked towards the figure on the throne...

"The King of Wei has fought wars in the south and the north over the years and has made great contributions to the Han Dynasty. His virtue is comparable to that of Duke Zhou..." The emperor slammed the imperial desk and scolded Zhuge Liang harshly.

The ministers in the palace were all stunned. The emperor was actually speaking for Cao Cao?

Cao Cao had a complicated expression. The emperor finally saw his contributions to the Han Dynasty over the years.

But the next moment, Cao Mengde's face turned dark...

Liu Xie looked at Kong Ming, becoming more and more angry: "How dare you be so rude to the King of Wei?! Prime Minister Zhuge, you are too presumptuous!!"

(End of this chapter)