Cui Lie suddenly understood how Yuan Wei felt when Liu Hong picked on him last time.

They did start court sessions quite early, but the weather in this August seemed to have returned all the heat swallowed up by the extended winter, making the morning court session feel like it was held after sunrise, leaving Cui Lie’s back covered in sweat.

He didn’t dare to suggest that Yuan’s family should explain the issue in court, as he felt it was better for him, an outsider, not to get involved.

But he certainly couldn’t say such a thing out loud.

This forced him to desperately rack his brains.

He needed to save himself…

It would be even better if he could erase the negative impact caused by the earlier talk of “abandoning Liangzhou.”

His bad reputation wasn’t just because of the Liangzhou incident.

Liu Hong thought Cui Lie was a necessary “choice” when needed, but from Cui Lie’s perspective, it wasn’t that simple.

Because his position as Minister was bought.

His grandfather was a famous literary figure in the Han Dynasty, and he himself was quite ambitious.

He had risen to the position of a famous scholar in Jizhou at an early age, first becoming a governor and then a magistrate.

Then he thought, since even the Three Excellencies were priced for sale, why couldn’t he buy one to experience it?

But Liu Hong’s price of ten million was a bit too much, so he did a tricky maneuver.

Through Liu Hong’s mother-in-law, Lady Cheng, he managed to get the position for only five million, cutting the price in half.

Liu Hong satisfactorily replaced Yuan Wei with a “famous scholar of Jizhou” with a golden signboard, although he regretted losing five million, the overall loss was not great.

But Cui Lie was in a bit of trouble.

A month ago, he asked his son, Cui Jun, also known as Cui Zhouping, how others now viewed him.

Cui Zhouping is the kind of person who would probably get along with Zhuge Liang, so you can imagine what kind of temperament he has.

He didn’t give his old father any face and immediately said, “In your current situation, ‘those who criticize you think you smell of copper.’ ”

This angered Cui Lie so much that he pulled out his cane and was about to beat his son.

This incident undoubtedly caused him considerable psychological trauma.

Since he had obtained the position of the Three Excellencies through somewhat improper means and had made an inappropriate remark, his response at this moment was crucial.

If he succeeded, perhaps he could wash away the accusations against him, but if he failed,

he would have to prepare to die to save his reputation.

Cui Lie took a deep breath, feeling that he had already heard some bias in Liu Hong’s words, so he replied, “I believe that both of them are innocent, and the mistake lies in putting them in the same position.”

Seeing Liu Hong signal him to continue, Cui Lie said, “Marquis of Le Ping is also a descendant of Duke Qiao Xuan.

In the past, when Zhou Zhongzhang was the governor of Yuzhou, Duke Qiao was a minor county officer in Liangguo.

He dared to stop the road and ask to remove Yang Chang, regardless of the power of General Liang Ji.

He escorted Yang Chang to Luoyang for questioning, so he can be called a man of integrity.

Marquis of Le Ping inherited this spirit from her ancestor, acting boldly and vigorously, which is quite ordinary.”

As he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his handheld tablet, Cui Lie felt relieved.

If Liu Hong had blamed Zhang Yi for being “captured” by Qiao Yan, rather than blaming Qiao Yan for kidnapping the governor, Cui Lie would have been tempted to say that the child’s behavior was inappropriate.

But with Liu Hong’s implicit hint—

it was better to say that she inherited Qiao Xuan’s legacy.

In fact, he wasn’t wrong.

Qiao Xuan dared to investigate the charges against Yang Chang, whom he protected, and bring him to Luoyang for questioning when General Liang Ji was still in power.

He was truly a resolute and uncompromising figure.

So it’s not surprising that Qiao Yan acts in a similar manner.

He continued, “Zhang Zitai is a gentleman of the Clear and Balanced Talk.

During his tenure as chancellor of Chen Guo, he emphasized moral education.

It is estimated that Yuan Gong’s wish is also what he wants, and it is precisely because of his actions that Nan Xiongnu was settled and Bingzhou was peaceful.”

Liu Hong did show the letters exchanged between Yuan Shao and Zhang Yi.

Under the circumstances where he still had some desire to suppress Qiao Yan, he would not present such decisive evidence.

So Cui Lie only thought that Zhang Yi was stripped of power by Qiao Yan for not achieving any practical results.

After thinking about it, he came up with a way to explain it more favorably for him.

When Cui Lie said this, he glanced carefully in the direction of Liu Hong and found that he did not express any dissatisfaction with these two sentences, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

He then concluded, “Marquis of Le Ping is a passionate and unrestrained person, while Zhang Yi is a methodical person.

The two are in conflict, with one outside the order and the other within the order. Today’s matter is just a matter of temperament.”

“What Marquis of Le Ping did was for the country and the people, and Zhang Yi has no faults. Now that the locust plague in Bingzhou has been resolved, Your Majesty does not need to be angry about this.”

Cui Lie felt that his slightly biased words were almost identical to what Liu Hong wanted to hear.

His words clearly did not offend either side.

This kind of bias from Liu Hong is easily explained.

Liángzhōu has been hard to conquer for a long time, and now, with the locust plague upon them, it is exhausting manpower.

Despite this, the Emperor did not change his plan to withdraw the troops preparing to march, and he was determined not to abandon Liangzhou.

This shows that since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Emperor has particularly favored those who are upright and enterprising.

Because once there is a change in the world, such people can immediately become generals and military commanders.

So Marquis of Le Ping is someone to be protected.

However, she went too far this time, even surpassing what Qiao Xuan did.

The Emperor probably still needs to suppress her slightly.

Sure enough, Liu Hong immediately followed up with a cold voice, “According to Minister Cui’s words, a provincial governor did not fulfill his duties, which can be called a person of moral education, while a county marquis did not respect the law and discipline, kidnapped the provincial governor, which can be called a person of great prestige and power?”

Cui Lie quickly replied, “That is not what I meant. Punishment must be given where it is due.

It’s just that Marquis of Le Ping has a heart for the people and the talent to pacify chaos.

If she is truly put on trial, it may damage the hearts of the people in Bingzhou.

Zhang Yi has done nothing, but he is not without virtue.

If he is dismissed from his post, it may hurt the hearts of the people who support the Emperor. Therefore, punishment must be careful.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Yuan Ji adding, “I also think so.”

With Yuan Ji’s support, Cui Lie finally gained some courage and stood up a little straighter.

However, from the perspective of the bystander, General Zhang Yan, it seemed that the focus of these two people’s words was different.

Cui Lie’s goal was to follow the Emperor’s thoughts and extract Qiao Yan from the accusation of kidnapping the governor, while Yuan Ji’s thoughts were based on the interests of the Yuan clan’s descendants, trying to extract Zhang Yi.

He continued to remain silent as a spectator, and also took the opportunity to assess Liu Hong’s expression.

He couldn’t help but feel that the Emperor was becoming more mature and sophisticated in the art of power balancing.

But no matter how he thought about it, he felt that this was not a long-term solution.

It’s a pity that this is not something he should say. Perhaps the next time there is a natural disaster, he will become a scapegoat and be removed from his position.

The current balance in the court is not something he should intervene in.

He just listened as Liu Hong asked at this moment, “According to the views of the two beloved ministers, how should I deal with these two individuals?”

Upon hearing Liu Hong’s words, Yuan Ji responded first, “The act of Marquis of Le Ping kidnapping the Prefect should not be imitated. However, considering her young age, the punishment should be reduced.”

As soon as Yuan Ji spoke, Cui Lie gave him a thankful look, apparently thanking him for answering this question first.

But could Yuan Ji really choose the order of answering?

Ultimately, when Liu Hong asked Cui Lie, he was actually just showing him an attitude.

Zhang Yi is a student of the Yuan clan. Now that he has made a mistake, providing an excuse for Qiao Yan actually maintains the dignity and reputation of the Yuan clan.

If others in the court were to answer, they would definitely criticize Qiao Yan for his unfounded actions.

But this sentence, anyone could say it, only Yuan Ji couldn’t.

Even if he felt that this matter was caused by Yuan Shao, he had to first sweep it away out of the consideration that the world was one family.

He continued, “In my humble opinion, Marquis of Le Ping should be confined for three or two years and be instructed by a master of etiquette to regulate her behavior from now on.

Marquis of Le Ping is talented and resourceful.

She was able to turn the tide even in the face of the locust plague.

She is truly a pillar of the Han Dynasty, and cautious education is necessary.”

“As for Zhang Yi–“

After pondering for a moment, Yuan Ji replied, “Bingzhou is a land of tigers and wolves. With his literary talent, it is not suitable for him to stay here for long.

It is better to remove him from the post of provincial governor and appoint him as the governor of a Central Plains province or county to continue his training.”

Before, it was the Yuan clan who had supported him, but now they were putting him back in the position he should have originally gone to.

This probably also fits the Emperor’s intentions.

After hearing Liu Hong ponder for a moment and respond with a “okay,” Yuan Ji realized that he had done the right thing.

This statement could only be made by them, the Yuan clan, to ensure that this incident of the Marquis seizing power from the Prefect would not cause any further waves.

But it also ensured that Liu Hong’s anger at Zhang Yi’s incompetence would not affect the Yuan clan.

With this start, the subsequent arrangements became much easier.

However, there was still a troublesome matter in this incident.

After looking around, Liu Hong asked again, “Bingzhou is currently facing the difficulty of the locust plague and cannot be without a Prefect to oversee it.

In the opinion of the beloved ministers, who is suitable to be the Prefect of Bingzhou?”

Since Zhang Yi was to be removed from office and placed as a prefect in a stable location more suitable for his abilities, who would be the suitable person to replace him?

Talents like Huang Wan are rare, and most people with the qualifications and age are already in their suitable positions, so it would not be appropriate to transfer them rashly.

But someone still had to come forward to give Liu Hong an answer.

They couldn’t all just stand here quietly.

Cui Lie thought for a moment before deciding to speak up.

The previous question had been unsettling, but this one about who should be the governor of Bingzhou seemed relatively easy to answer for him.

And this could also be a good opportunity for him to clear his name.

In a serious tone, he said, “I have something to say.”

After Liu Hongjun nodded, he continued, “Previously, Fu Nanrong’s words about not abandoning Liangzhou were quite enlightening to me.

It was clear that the previous intention to let the Han Dynasty sever its own arm was inappropriate.

Therefore, I must say now that Liangzhou cannot be abandoned, and Bingzhou cannot be abandoned either. This is a top priority.”

Although it was obvious that he was trying to save face, which would surely invite some ridicule, saying this would definitely be better than not saying anything at all.

As Cui Lie found comfort in his words, he continued, “Therefore, the successor to the governor of Bingzhou must have the ambition to expand the territory and the courage to respect the wishes of the Xiongnu.”

Listening to himself, he felt much more confident now!

Cui Lie was quite satisfied with his dignified performance and added, “As Yuan Taifu said before, it is necessary to educate the Marquis of Leping with the conduct of a virtuous scholar, instructing him to correct his words and actions.

If a scholar is sent there, it may be inappropriate for such a small place as Leping. It would be better for the governor of Bingzhou to concurrently handle this matter.”

“I think the selected governor of Bingzhou should possess both qualities.”

However, to Cui Lie’s astonishment, the next moment he heard Liu Hong say, “Then let it be you, “

“…?” Cui Lie slowly raised his head.

He was even more bewildered than when Liu Hong had named him to express his opinions earlier.

Seeing his expression, Liu Hongjun asked calmly, “Aren’t you a talent in the education of virtue?”

Cui Lie couldn’t deny that.

The most criticized thing about Cui Lie is buying his official position.

However, this whole issue of buying positions was stirred up by Liu Hong.

If one were to say this matter is inappropriate, it would undoubtedly be tantamount to saying that Liu Hong’s decision-making as an emperor is flawed.

Given his family’s scholarly heritage, coupled with his son Cui Jun’s recent selection as a Filial and Incorrupt candidate, he also could not deny this point.

“Aren’t you someone who has sworn to resist the Xiongnu?” Liu Hong asked again.

Cui Lie couldn’t deny this question either.

He wished he could slap himself.

He blamed himself for speaking so hastily.

Now, he had already cited Fu Xie’s words to awaken himself, and if he were to say now that he didn’t have the courage to confront the Xiongnu, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.

Since he couldn’t refute both of these, it was as good as agreeing, which naturally aligned with the conditions he had previously suggested.

In this sense, Liu Hong felt that he could assume the position of governor of Bingzhou, which was not a casual statement.

But this position of governor…

From Minister of Works to governor, this was a demotion!

Cui Lie was deeply troubled, but he couldn’t help but think of what his good son said when he raised his cane to beat him.

“Accept the small cane, leave at the big cane,”

Cui Jun also said that while others used to say he had the talents of the Three Excellencies, now that he had chosen to buy his way into the Three Excellencies, people no longer thought so.

It was truly a case of “disappointing the world.”

If he were to go back and make some contributions as the governor of Bingzhou, wouldn’t that also prove that he did indeed have the ability?