Although he had been in Luoyang for three days, Old Liu had been busy with the hotel, so he didn't have time to take a good look at Luoyang. He didn't know the location of the Imperial Palace. Today, under the guidance of the servant, they passed through five or six streets and finally arrived in front of the magnificent Nangong Zhuque Gate.
Old Liu was stunned when he saw this building. It was not a simple city gate, but two magnificent buildings facing each other from east to west. They were called watchtowers. The entire Nangong was built on a solid soil foundation. The Vermilion Bird Gate was the largest of the four gates in the Nangong. The watchtower was a wooden building built on a high stone platform. Old Liu estimated that it was at least 40 to 50 meters tall. No wonder he had read such records in the history books. Forty-five miles away, Yanshi looked at the Vermilion Bird Gate watchtower. It seemed to connect with the sky and could be called a wonder of Luoyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
One would not know if one did not look at it, but when they saw it, they were shocked. Compared to the current Forbidden City in Beijing, the Nangong Palace was even larger. Even the gate was so magnificent. One could imagine how luxurious the buildings in the palace were.
On both sides of the palace gate stood a team of guards, armed with spears and other weapons, and they were heavily guarded.
At the door, Old Liu hurried forward and said to the guard,"I am Liu Bei from Zhuo County. I have come to the palace to meet the emperor. Please report this to the steward of the palace.”
The guard saw Old Liu's imposing manner and heard that he was the great hero who was rumored to be in the court. He quickly agreed and was about to go in to report. Before he could go in, a young eunuch with a pale face and no beard came out and said to Old Liu,"You must be that Liu Bei. I have been waiting for you here under Lord Guo's orders. Let's go inside and wait for the Emperor to summon you.”
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Eunuch. Please lead the way.”
He followed the eunuch into the palace gate. On the way, Old Liu saw that no one around had any ideas, so he quickly took out an ingot of gold and stuffed it into the eunuch's hand.
The eunuch weighed the gold in his hand and couldn't help but smile. Seeing that Old Liu had been looking at the surrounding tall and magnificent palaces, he took the initiative to be the commentator and told Old Liu the names of the palace gates they passed by one by one.
"Young Master, please take a look. This is the first palace from the Vermilion Bird Gate, the Pingshuo Palace. This is the Eternal Autumn Palace, which is also the second palace. Next to it is the Zhongde Palace, and next to it is the Chongde Palace. There are even more side palaces on both sides. I don't have time to introduce them to you in detail today. This gate is the Zhanghua Gate. After entering this gate, you will be in the Que Fei Palace where the Emperor and his ministers discuss matters. You just have to wait by the side and wait for the Emperor to summon you.”
"Thank you, Eunuch. May I ask how I should address you?”
"Young Master, you don't have to be so polite. My surname is Li and my name is Qiang. Young Master, you can just call me Little Li.”
The two of them waited in the side hall next to the Que Fei Hall. The eunuch Li Qiang introduced the general situation in the palace to Old Liu.
Only then did Old Liu know that what he saw was only half of the Nangong Palace. There was another North Palace behind it, where the Emperor and his concubines rested. The two palaces were connected by a complex road. The size of the North Palace was larger than the Nangong Palace. The Deyang Palace in the North Palace was the largest and tallest building in the two palaces. The gate in front of the Deyang Palace was similar to the Vermilion Bird Gate in front of the Nangong Palace. It could also be seen in Yanshi, which was 45 miles away from Luoyang.……
In the North Palace, there were eight palaces, namely Hande, Zhangtai, Tianlu, Xuanming, Wenzheng, Yingchun, Shouan and Yongning. Flying pavilions were set up between these palaces. In these palaces, people didn't need to walk on the ground, but walked in the sky like immortals.
The previous books about the Three Kingdoms barely introduced the situation of Luoyang Palace. After these buildings were burned by Dong Zhuo, no one knew about it. Today, after listening to the eunuch Li Qiang's words, Old Liu knew that the palaces in Luoyang were far more magnificent and exquisite than those in Chang 'an. In this case, he couldn't let Dong Zhuo burn them.
Just as he was listening to Little Li's enthusiastic speech, a eunuch suddenly walked out of the hall. It was Guo Sheng. He stood in front of the hall and shouted,""The Emperor has decreed that Zhuo County's Liu Bei be summoned to the palace to meet the Emperor.”
"I, Liu Bei, obey your orders."”
Then, he stood up and followed Guo Sheng into the Hall of But Not.
Although Old Liu was also curious to see the Spirit Emperor, he knew that he could not look at the Emperor without the Emperor's permission. Therefore, he kept his head down and followed behind Guo Sheng, passing through the ministers standing on both sides and coming to the white jade stone steps. He knelt down and said,""I am Liu Bei of Zhuo County. Greetings, long live my emperor!”Then, he bowed three times and kowtowed nine times.
The Spirit Monarch sat on the dragon bed on the steps and looked down at Liu Bei. His head was lowered and he could not see clearly."Are you Liu Bei? Raise your head and let me take a look.”
With the Emperor's permission, Old Liu raised his head and looked at the Spirit Monarch in front of him.
Liu Bei knew that the Spirit Emperor was born in 156 AD, five years older than Liu Bei. He was only 25 years old this year. However, the one on the dragon bed in front of him, although he was wearing a dragon robe and a crown with many strings of beads on his head, looked lifeless. His eyes were swollen and his face was pale. It was obvious that he had been drinking too much. He gave people the impression that he was at least 35 years old.
The Spirit Monarch was also sizing up Old Liu. He was eight feet tall, with two ears and shoulders, hands above his knees, a jade-like face, white teeth, and red lips. He was indeed a handsome young man, making people happy at first sight.
"Xuande," said the Spirit Emperor,"get up and answer me.”
Old Liu thanked the emperor and stood up.
"I heard from my uncle, Lord Liu Yan, that you are the descendant of Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan. He also checked the family tree and found that you are his nephew, so you and I are of the same generation.”
"I was born in the third month of the fourth year of Yanxi. I am twenty years old this year.”Old Liu stood up and replied.
"Liu Bei, don't call yourself a commoner. You are my brother, how can you be a commoner? How about this? According to the report of the former governor of Youzhou, Lord Liu Yan, Liu Bei once led a hundred Ding generals to break into the enemy camp and captured the leader of the Wuhuan bandits, Qiu Liju, forcing him to retreat. He has made great contributions to the Han Dynasty. I want you to come to Luoyang to commend your achievements.”
As soon as the Spirit Monarch finished speaking, one of the civil officials below said,""Your Majesty, I suggest that Liu Bei, as a relative of the Han clan, should first be granted the title of Marquis. As for the title of Xiang Marquis…
If it is a county marquis, please make a decision, Your Majesty."
As a result, the officials below began to discuss. Some said that they should be conferred the title of Marquis Ting, and some said that they should be conferred the title of Marquis Xian. There were all sorts of things. After discussing for a long time, there was no conclusion. At this moment, Grand Marshal Yang Ci said,"Your Majesty, based on Liu Bei's achievements, I think he should be conferred the title of County Marquis.”
Since Yang Ci had spoken, no one said anything else. Hence, everyone looked at the Spirit Monarch to see what he would decide.
" Since the Grand Commandant has said so," the Spirit Emperor said," then let's make Liu Bei the Marquis of Zhuo County. Zhuo County is his hometown, and he has made great contributions there. It is a suitable reward for him."”
"Your Majesty has decreed that Liu Bei shall be granted the title of Marquis of Zhuo County," Guo Sheng replied.”
Old Liu bowed again and said,"Liu Bei thanks you."
At this moment, Zhang Rang said to the Spirit Monarch,""Your Majesty, Liu Bei, Marquis of Zhuo County, is both intelligent and brave. He is a rare young talent in our Great Han. Your Majesty should entrust him with an important task and let him share your worries and solve your problems.
Zhao Zhong and the others also agreed. For a time, there were voices asking the Spirit Monarch to let Old Liu be an official.
The Spirit Monarch had long known about Liu Bei's plan. As long as he could hand over the Youzhou Provincial Governor to him, he would be able to earn back ten million coins. He heard that his younger brother was the son-in-law of the Zhen family in Wuji, so he would help him spend some of his money. Seeing that the situation below was in chaos, the Spirit Monarch said,"Minister Yang, are there any vacant positions? What kind of official position do you think is suitable for Liu Bei?”
Hearing the Spirit Monarch ask him this question, Yang Ci naturally knew that Liu Bei had indeed spent the money, so he reported truthfully,""Your Majesty, there are currently some vacant positions in the court.”
"What positions are available?" the Spirit Emperor asked.”
"Among the thirteen provinces, Youzhou Province and Jiaozhou Province don't have any provincial governors. As for the prefects and county governors, there are even more vacancies.”
When the crowd heard Yang Ci's words, they realized that he wanted Liu Bei to be the Provincial Governor. He had just become the Marquis of Zhuo County, and now he was going to be the Provincial Governor. Moreover, it was the Grand Commandant who had suggested it. It seemed that Zhang Rang and the others had also agreed to give Liu Bei an official position. It was rare that there was no opposition between the eunuch and the minister today. It seemed that Liu Bei's background was not ordinary.
At this moment, another Vice Minister, Zhao Zhong, said,"I heard that the one Liu Bei defeated this time was Qiu Liju of the Wuhuan tribe in western Liaoning. That place borders Youzhou. Let Liu Bei be the governor of Youzhou. With him guarding there, those Wuhuan people will definitely not dare to cause trouble again.”
After he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent for a moment. Many people felt that Zhao Zhong usually only knew how to pester people, but what he said today actually sounded very reasonable.
Seeing that no one spoke, the Spirit Monarch said,""Since all the beloved ministers have no objections, then we will follow Minister Zhao's suggestion and appoint Liu Bei as the governor of Youzhou. Liu Bei will be appointed to the Yan Country within a month.”
Old Liu quickly knelt down again to thank him.
" Liu Bei, you are my brother," the Spirit Monarch said." I am handing Youzhou over to you now. You must guard it well. Don't let those Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Xiongnu people come to my territory and plunder wantonly. Do you have the confidence to do that?"”
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will not disappoint Your Majesty. I guarantee…
In the future, if anyone dares to come to my Great Han territory to rob, I will make sure that they will never return. In time, I will prepare the military and pacify the Wuhuan, Xianbei, Xiongnu and other tribes in the north. I will let them know that those who dare to offend the Great Han Dynasty will be killed no matter how far they are!”
"Good, Xuande, you're right. It seems that with you as the Youzhou Provincial Governor, Zhen can rest assured.”
At this moment, General Huangfu Song reported,""Your Majesty, since Liu Bei has the intention to unify the north for our Great Han, I think we can also make Liu Bei a Wuhuan Guard Lieutenant. This will also make it easier for him to do things in the future.”
The Spirit Monarch felt that what Huangfu Song said made sense, so he asked for everyone's opinion. Of course, most of them agreed, and few objected. Thus, Old Liu's Wuhuan Lieutenant Protector was also in his hands.
Now that Old Liu's matter was settled, he had become a high-ranking official. Thus, he retreated among the ministers. The Spirit Monarch began to discuss with the ministers about the candidate for the Jiaozhou Provincial Governor. In the end, Liu Yu, who had been occupied by Old Liu, had no choice but to become the Jiaozhou Provincial Governor. Fortunately, he had the experience of dealing with outsiders. He reckoned that he would still be able to display his talents there to ensure the stability of Jiaozhou.
When it was time for the next court session, the Spirit Monarch called out to Old Liu after everyone had left." Brother Yu, I'll treat you to a meal in the harem this afternoon. This is only our family banquet, so don't leave. Come with me to the harem."”
Old Liu hurriedly agreed and followed the Spirit Emperor's sedan chair to the harem. It seemed that the Spirit Emperor really regarded him as a brother. Naturally, he had to help him. While they were eating, if there was a chance, he would report Zhang Jiao's matter to him and see what he would do. If he could eliminate the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he would probably live a few more years. It would be considered that he had not let him down.
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