HLnovel Chapter 205 Sima's House
Chapter 205 Sima's House
Chapter 205 Sima's House
When Liu Bian entered the Talent Recruiting Hall, the young man from the noble family was whispering something behind a white-haired old man.
When he saw Liu Bian come in, he whispered a few more words.
The old man turned his head, his white hair was sparse, his face was vigorous, and his eyes were as sharp as knives as he looked at Liu Bian.
He was stunned at first, then looked at it carefully, suddenly pressed the table, stood up with difficulty, and walked towards Liu Bian.
The young man was startled, and hurriedly supported him, whispering: "Grandfather, what's wrong?"
The old man said nothing. He came to Liu Bian and seemed to look at him more seriously. He raised his hand and said, "Sima Jun is old and his eyes are dim. May I ask, is this your Majesty?"
Liu Bian looked at him, smiled slightly, and said, "It's me. Sima Qing's family can recognize me from such a distance, but I don't look like I'm nearly eighty years old at all."
Sima Lang, the grandson of Sima Jun, was shocked when he heard this. He raised his hand and said, "I didn't know it was Your Majesty. I offended Your Majesty. Please punish me!"
Sima Jun raised his hand tremblingly, his face showing fear, and then said in a low and powerful voice: "Your Majesty, I, Sima Jun, pay my respects to you."
The other people in the Recruiting Talents Hall were horrified. Looking at this young man with an extraordinary temperament, holding a child and looking like an ordinary aristocrat, no matter how they looked at it, they would never think that he was the current emperor!
But who is Sima Jun? How could he admit his mistake?
"Your Majesty, we are here to see you!" Everyone in the Talent Recruitment Hall stood up and saluted in unison.
Liu Bian waved his hand and said, "I have some free time today, so I came to the Hall of Recruiting Talents to sit down. I am quite surprised. Those who have things to do can go and do them. There is no need to worry about me."
Because the court selected few talents from the Zhaoxian Hall, there were not many people left in the Zhaoxian Hall. No one was stupid enough to recognize the tone of Liu Bian's words, glanced at Sima Jun and Sima Lang, and left one after another.
Not long after, only Liu Bian and Sima Jun were sitting in the Talent Recruiting Hall.
Liu Bian sat cross-legged, put the kid between his legs, looked at Sima Jun, and said with emotion: "Your family has a long life, which is enviable."
As the saying goes, 'It is rare for a person to live to be seventy', living to be seventy is really a long life!
This Sima Jun is seventy-eight years old this year!
It's not just Sima Jun. The Sima family generally has long-lived people. His grandson was Sima Yi, who almost experienced the entire Cao Wei era.
Sima Lang, standing behind Sima Jun, was the eldest grandson, and Sima Yi was the second.
Sima Lang and Sima Yi's eight brothers were all outstanding. Because their courtesy names all ended with the character "Da", they were historically known as the "Eight Sima Das".
Sima Jun sat opposite Liu Bian, hunched over, and said, "I have wasted my years and done nothing. I am truly ashamed."
Liu Bian held the restless little fellow in his arms and said with a smile: "Your family has written books and lectured from time to time, educating countless people. How can you say that your time is in vain?"
Sima Jun shook his head repeatedly and sighed, "Now that I am old, I realize that looking back on the past, I have neither achievements nor virtues. I have failed my king and my ancestors. Every time I think about it, I feel so guilty that I can't sleep at night."
Liu Bian narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at Sima Lang behind him, and said: "You are wrong. The ancients said that those who are good at fighting have no glorious military exploits, and great sages are unknown. Their achievements are real, not false reputations. You are simple and honest, which is more than a hundred times better than those who are scheming and seeking for profit."
Sima Jun waited in silence for a while, then he sighed, raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty is far-sighted and magnanimous, which is beyond my reach. I am old and incompetent, wasting my time and leaving only the world's laughter."
Sima Lang stood behind Sima Jun, listening to his grandfather's "humble words" which were completely different from before. He was puzzled in his heart, but his face was full of respect.
Seeing Sima Jun's constant "argumentation", Liu Bian kept smiling, pulled the little guy back from his arms, and said, "Your family is strong, sharp-minded, and experienced, far superior to others."
Without waiting for Sima Jun to speak, Liu Bian suddenly glanced at Sima Lang and said, "You should know the conversation between me and your grandson just now. What do you think?"
Sima Lang's face tensed when he heard this and he bowed unconsciously.
In the eyes of the world, His Majesty before us is a special emperor with many labels such as "low-key", "decisive", "ruthless", and "courageous".
Less than two years after he ascended the throne, he wiped out the century-old stubborn "Eunuch Party", seized power from the powerful general He Jin, and personally led an expedition to defeat the Huns. He abolished the Three Dukes' Office, re-established the position of Prime Minister, and deployed an army of hundreds of thousands, sweeping away the court's decline.
How can ordinary people do all these things?
Sima Jun's old face suddenly became solemn, and he raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, if the heart is not upright, then it is evil; if the body is not upright, then it is treacherous. Officials should accept the mandate of heaven and bring peace to the people. They must not be partial. If they are partial, they will betray the grace of heaven and bring chaos to the country. From ancient times to the present, history books are as hard as iron. Please understand, Your Majesty."
Seeing that his grandfather's words were completely different from before, Sima Lang couldn't help but lower his head and glanced at Liu Bian deeply out of the corner of his eye.
The only person who could make his grandfather talk nonsense was the Majesty in front of him.
He didn't dare to look at Liu Bian's face, but happened to meet Liu Shao's gaze.
The little guy seemed very curious about Sima Lang, waving his little hands and making whining sounds.
Sima Lang quickly lowered his head and focused his eyes on his feet.
Liu Bian looked at Sima Jun calmly and said slowly, "Do you think that Henan Yin Zhongji should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others?"
Sima Jun's face was gloomy and his eyes were sharp. He said, "Your Majesty, ordinary people know that the laws of the Han Dynasty are strict and dare not go beyond the rules. If officials act recklessly, where will the dignity of the court be? Once this precedent is set, there will be endless troubles."
Liu Bian looked calm. He reached out and took a sip of the teacup. He said, "If you were the Minister of Justice, what would you do?"
Sima Jun paused for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, immediately put Zhong Ji in jail and try him for his crime, and make a quick judgment to stop others from having any delusional thoughts."
Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand, his face ashamed, and sighed: "I am seventy-eight years old this year. I have to rely on my descendants for my daily life. I wish I could be ten years younger so that I can share your worries."
Liu Bian shook his head and said with a smile: "You have a heart for the country. How can I sit by and watch you feel ashamed and regretful for the rest of your life?"
As he spoke, he turned his head to Pan Yin and said quickly: "Draft an imperial decree to promote Sima Qing's family to the position of Minister of Criminal Affairs. If anyone objects, let him come to me and speak to me in person."
Sima Jun raised his hand hastily, sat up with difficulty, and said with an uneasy look on his face: "Your Majesty, I am not ashamed of myself, but my ability is limited..."
Liu Bian waved his hand, interrupting him and said, "You don't need to say more. I have made up my mind. I will deal with the case of the Henan Yin severely and quickly according to your will!"
Without waiting for Sima Jun to speak, Liu Bian said with a smile: "Sima Qing's family has good education. Pan Yin, draft another decree. Sima Fang will be the governor of Henei and Sima Lang will be the chancellor of Luoyang."
Sima Lang suddenly panicked when he heard this and looked at his grandfather beside him.
Sima Fang is his father.
The Sima family has extremely strict family education. Without Sima Jun's approval, Sima Lang would not dare to accept the imperial edict!
Sima Jun's old face was solemn, his sparse white hair fluttering without wind. He lowered his head, remained silent for a moment, raised his hand and bowed, saying: "I accept your command, and I thank God for His grace!"
"I accept the order and thank God for his grace!" Sima Lang quickly followed suit and fell to the ground, his eyes wide open, staring at the ground, filled with fear.
By now, he had no idea that this Majesty was not just 'passing by by chance', but was here for his grandfather!
Seeing that they had received the order, Liu Bian smiled with satisfaction and said, "No need to be polite, you two."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The two men responded and slowly stood up.
There was no sign of anything unusual on Sima Jun's face, only a thoughtful look, as if he was already considering the matter of the Henan Yin.
Sima Lang was not so cunning and his face was full of panic.
"Wow wow wow..." The little guy in Liu Bian's arms waved his little arms at Sima Lang.
Liu Bian hugged him again and said to Sima Jun with a smile: "The decree will be issued soon, so you should take up your post as soon as possible. The governor of Henan will report to the capital in ten days, and this matter will be decided in ten days to stop the false rumors."
The incident of "Henan Yin Zhongji misappropriating autumn grain for disaster relief" has become a hot topic in Luoyang City.
An example of this is Sima Lang arguing with a group of clerks in the street.
The various rumors that have arisen as a result of this are constantly being updated, each one more outrageous than the last.
"I obey your order." Sima Jun said without changing his expression.
The worry in Sima Lang's eyes could not be dispelled.
Although he believed that Zhong Ji's actions violated the court's rules and regulations and should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others - it should not be his grandfather who did it!
Zhong Ji's actions violated the laws of the Han Dynasty, but if they could be used to provide relief to disaster victims, it would be a "benevolent act" and his reputation would be unprecedented. Anyone who touched him at this time would be condemned by scholars all over the world and his reputation would be greatly damaged!
"Woo woo woo woo..." The little guy grabbed Liu Bian's sleeve, stretched his head, opened his mouth, and wanted to bite.
Seeing this, Liu Bian smiled and picked him up, and said to Sima Jun and Sima Lang, "Sima Qingjia, our great prince may be hungry. I will take him back to the palace first. If anyone has any comments on my appointment of you or your age, you can directly come to Deyang Palace to report it. I will make the decision for you."
Sima Jun showed gratitude on his face and raised his hand and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Liu Bian nodded and carried Liu Shao out of the Zhaoxian Hall.
After Liu Bian walked away, Sima Lang could not help it. He opened his mouth to ask, but forced himself to hold it back. He stood behind Sima Jun, his eyes anxious, not daring to utter a word.
Sima Jun was silent for a moment, then reached out to pick up the teacup and said, "Ask if you want to."
Sima Lang felt relieved and said anxiously, "Grandfather, His Majesty's intention just now was to use that kind of punishment. Why do you agree to punish severely now?"
In Sima Lang's view, what Liu Bian had said to him before meant that Zhong Ji was "treacherous but capable", and he cared more about Zhong Ji's "ability" and not his loyalty or treachery.
Sima Jun had originally made the same judgment, so when Liu Bian showed some sign of reinstating him, he insisted on "severely punishing" Zhong Ji in order to conflict with Liu Bian and politely refused the call-up.
"That only means that I am more useful than Zhong Ji." Sima Jun took a sip of tea and said lightly.
Sima Lang understood, and his expression was struggling, as if he wanted to say something but stopped.
Sima Jun didn't say much. He sat in the chair with a look of solemnity on his old and vigorous face.
Last year, Yang Biao had asked him directly in public whether he wanted to become an official, but he politely declined.
He stayed in the capital in order to look for opportunities for his children and grandchildren to enter officialdom. He never expected that while he was wholeheartedly planning for his children and grandchildren, the palace was targeting him!
Asking for a monthly ticket~