Inside Yecheng.
Emperor Liu Xie heard that General Zhang Fei was still arguing with the Imperial Uncle about whether he counted as the Imperial Uncle's "cloth-clad brother."
Looking around again, among the people in Yecheng whom he was more familiar with, Xin Pi looked rather curious and was pointing at the light screen together with his daughter. Geng Ji and the others were also whispering among themselves in low voices. Jia Xu, on the contrary, appeared the most relaxed of all. He even seemed to be smiling as he spoke with Cai Bojie's daughter.
Perhaps for them, seeing such a strange phenomenon now meant that many of their previous guesses about the Imperial Uncle would have to be completely overturned.
Liu Xie shook his head inwardly. To be honest, he did not feel much about this Hongwu Emperor.
By now he had already seen too many heroes and cunning tyrants. He had passed successively through the hands of Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Cao Cao, and the humiliation he had suffered was simply beyond counting. Time and again he had come to clearly realize that he was by no means some sagely monarch.
So after merely hearing the Imperial Uncle briefly recount the deeds of the Hongwu Emperor, Liu Xie already understood that the two of them were completely different kinds of people.
Even though both bore the title of Son of Heaven, if he truly possessed the same resolve and grand ambition as the Hongwu Emperor, how could the realm have fallen into such a state?
In Chang'an, he would have united the loyal elders, joined with Lü Bu, drawn his sword and slain Dong Zhuo, swept through Guanzhong, mounted a swift steed, established six armies, and destroyed Guo Si and Li Jue in might.
Then he would leave Tong Pass, denounce the traitor Cao, proclaim to the realm, drive through the Central Plains and defeat Cao Cao, advance into Hebei, appoint the ministers of four generations, confirm the Three Excellencies, and finally bring Yan and Yun under allegiance.
After that he would ride a carriage drawn by six horses and tour the realm, entrusting the Imperial Uncle with power, inviting Zhuge Liang and Jia Xu into service, then return to the ancestral temple to report to the forefathers before restoring the realm in one stroke.
Thinking about it carefully, Liu Xie even felt that such a course would not be bad.
Unfortunately, he was not the Hongwu Emperor.
He lacked the spirit to confront Dong Zhuo directly, and he lacked the courage to angrily rebuke Cao Cao. It was not until the desperate situation at Yecheng, after much urging from the Empress, that he finally risked everything. Even then, when facing Cao Cao whose fangs had already been pulled out, he still could not personally stab him to death alone and had to rely on Empress Fu Shou to assist.
Compared with the Hongwu Emperor, he could not even be considered a novice emperor anymore.
But what use was that?
Could it stop a million soldiers?
However…
Turning his head, he looked at Liu Bei, who was still arguing with Zhang Fei about what counted as a cloth-clad brother. Nearby Guan Yu was stroking his beard while watching the spectacle with amusement, while Zhuge Liang and the others also stood at the side.
And above them floated the luminous screen.
Suddenly Liu Xie felt a trace of ease rise in his heart.
Who said that being an emperor required exhausting oneself through endless transformation?
He had the Imperial Uncle, whose mandate of heaven had already been revealed!
Even if the future path was still unclear for the moment,
he and Fu Shou no longer had to live trembling under Cao Cao's shadow. That alone was already something to be thankful for.
With the Imperial Uncle present, the Han dynasty had not collapsed, and the chaos seemed close to ending.
That alone was enough to avoid shame before the Former Emperor.
Enough!
Thus Liu Xie simply shifted into a more comfortable posture. While watching the affairs of the Hongwu Emperor on the light screen, he also pricked up his ears to listen to the casual conversation between the Imperial Uncle and his old companions.
If nothing else, regarding the rewards for these loyal ministers and brave generals of the Han, he should at least be able to share some of the Imperial Uncle's burden.
---
[Lightscreen]
[Speaking of Hu Weiyong, many people may feel somewhat unfamiliar with the name.
After all, when talking about Zhu Yuanzhang's founding team, there are far more famous figures.
From the battlefield terror Chang Yuchun, known as "Chang of the Hundred Thousand," to Xu Da, the Great Wall of the northern frontier. Then there was Li Shanchang, who served tirelessly at Zhu Yuanzhang's side, as well as the ducal nobles Li Wenzhong, Deng Yu, Feng Sheng, and others. If one expands further there were also Tang He, Guo Xing, and the almost myth-like strategist Liu Bowen.
Compared with these names, Hu Weiyong could truly be called obscure, which naturally makes people wonder about him.
In fact, Hu Weiyong was also one of Zhu Yuanzhang's old followers.
In the fifteenth year of the Zhizheng era, Zhu Yuanzhang captured He County, and his reputation spread to nearby Dingyuan County.
At that time Hu Weiyong was serving as a minor official of the Yuan government in Dingyuan. After thinking it over, he made up his mind, packed his belongings, and went to join Zhu Yuanzhang.
"I'm joining the rebellion!"
For Hu Weiyong, such a decision might have been a bold stroke in his life story, something he could boast about to his grandchildren in his old age.
But in reality, nobody paid much attention at the time.
First, the Yuan government's grassroots corruption was already the norm. Second, there were rebellions everywhere. One more person rebelling hardly mattered.
And after arriving, Hu Weiyong soon faced another problem.
The golden window for founding a venture had already closed.
As we mentioned earlier, the turning point of the Yuan dynasty came in 1354. That year Toqto'a was stripped of power. The million-strong army scattered. Some fled, others rebelled. The coffin of the Yuan dynasty was essentially nailed shut.
For Zhu Yuanzhang, that year was also a turning point of destiny.
The rebel forces were internally divided, so Zhu Yuanzhang simply took twenty-four trusted followers south to attack Dingyuan. Along the way the strategist Li Shanchang joined him, and the force continued to grow. In the end they actually succeeded in capturing Chuzhou, gaining tremendous fame.
After Chuzhou fell, Li Shanchang's talent had been proven, and the growing power urgently needed proper administration. Zhu Yuanzhang therefore appointed Li Shanchang to screen the various talents coming to join them.
Under these circumstances, Hu Weiyong's résumé ended up in Li Shanchang's hands.
In the end he was assigned to become a messenger clerk at the Marshal's Office.
In simpler terms, he delivered letters.
Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang were fellow townsmen, yet they had joined only about a year apart. One became a Roman horse, the other a pack mule. From that point on, the gap between them only grew larger.
Over the next ten years, Hu Weiyong steadily worked his way up. He successively served as envoy, registrar, county magistrate, assistant prefect, and investigating commissioner in Huguang.
This promotion speed was not actually slow.
But compared with the other members of the founding team, it looked rather unimpressive. His fellow townsman Li Shanchang had already become Right Chancellor, essentially equivalent to the position of Prime Minister.
Then the following year Zhang Shicheng was destroyed. By that time the dragon aura around Zhu Yuanzhang had already become overwhelmingly obvious.
Under such circumstances, Hu Weiyong finally began to feel anxious.
Following the principle that a living man cannot die of thirst while standing beside water, Hu Weiyong took advantage of their hometown connection and sent two hundred taels of gold to Li Shanchang.
The meaning was clear. On account of being fellow townsmen, please give your brother a hand.
At that time Li Shanchang had been granted the title Duke of Xuan for his role in conquering Wu and had been appointed Left Chancellor. He was the undisputed head of the central government.
For him, this matter was trivial.
Of course, Old Li was not greedy for money. He simply could not bear to see a fellow townsman's talent buried.
Thus, through Li Shanchang's discerning eye, within only two months Hu Weiyong was transferred to the capital and appointed Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Soon afterward he was promoted to Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.
Less than two months later, the year 1368 arrived.
The Ming dynasty was founded.
Hu Weiyong had barely managed to catch the final tailwind before the founding of the dynasty.
In less than half a year his promotion exceeded everything he had achieved in the previous ten years combined.
Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang seated high in the hall, Hu Weiyong gradually grasped the central secret of working in the imperial court.
Wealth and honor must be sought through flattery.
After the founding of the Ming, ritual became extremely important in this feudal age. Zhu Yuanzhang, who still retained some bandit roughness, found such matters troublesome. Therefore he handed tasks such as posthumously honoring his ancestors, conferring titles upon imperial consorts, princes, and relatives, and establishing the rites of state sacrifices and ancestral temples to Li Shanchang.
These matters happened to fall directly within the responsibilities of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, where Hu Weiyong served as minister.
Thus during the first three years of the Ming dynasty, Hu Weiyong rapidly attached himself to Li Shanchang.
And when the great pot of rewards was distributed in the third year of Hongwu, he successfully became Vice Executive of the Secretariat.
In simple terms,
please address me as Deputy Chancellor Hu.]