Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 73: Suppressing the Warriors
Li Tong snorted coldly and said, "What do you know? From the moment Emperor Xiaowen changed the system, Wei became China, not Hu."

"If you respect the Chinese, you are Chinese. If you leave the Chinese, you are Hu. The Rouran live by following the grass. If they have nothing to eat, they go south to rob. This is Hu."

"Back then, when Emperor Fu Jian inherited China, he had the ambition to rule the world. We, the descendants of the Qihuo Army, once helped him in his southern expedition, but unfortunately, he failed in the end."

Wang Hui was not going to debate with Li Tong about what was the orthodox Chinese culture. He just wanted Li Tong to give up his plan to assassinate King Rourou on the spot and not take him with him to die.

Li Tong's next words made Wang Hui's hands and feet go cold. He said, "Your family has been taken care of by us, the descendants of the beggars. If something happens to you, they will not be implicated."
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On the mound, the two attendants behind King Rourou quietly changed their clothes. They nervously took out their bows and arrows and tied the "Kill the Hu Order" on them.

"Tomorrow when we ask questions, all the princes and nobles of the Wei clan will gather here. Then we can use this arrow to pretend to assassinate the Khan. After the task is completed, the Khan can return north."

Then the attendant took out a poison pill and said, "Put the poison pill in your mouth and bite the wax pill. It will take effect immediately without any pain."

Another servant took the poison pill firmly. His task was to create chaos when his companions were shooting arrows. They were the death warriors who fled with the King of Rourou, and they were willing to give up everything to restore Anagui's country.

The selection of Prince Qinghe for his entry into the imperial court was a grand banquet, and also an occasion for the nobles to exchange interests.

Hou, the Right Prime Minister of Henan Prefecture, had just come out of the tent of Jiangyang King Yuan Yi and returned to his own tent with satisfaction.

"Grandpa, what's going on?"

His son Hou Yuan immediately came out to greet him warmly. When Hou Gang returned to the tent, he said:
"The king has already agreed. Tomorrow you will be able to return to the Imperial Guards and serve as the commander of the Material Officer Camp. When the Ministry of Personnel conducts the selection this year, you will be able to be appointed as a Imperial Guardsman."

Hou Yuan immediately became excited. He asked tremblingly, "Grandpa, do I not have to go to the Six Towns?"

Hou Gang nodded and said, "Originally, I wanted you to go to the Six Garrisons and then find an opportunity to transfer you back to Luoyang to serve as an official. However, it just so happens that the brigade commander position of the Caiguan Camp has become vacant, and King Jiangyang is the general leading the imperial army, so you have the opportunity to get such a military position."

Hou Gang's face turned very stern again and he said, "This time when you go to Yulin, don't cause trouble like you did last time! If you hadn't fought with that Han Yulin Lang last time and ended up getting your grandfather into trouble, you would have already entered the government by now!"

Hou Yuan lowered his head and accepted the scolding. Zhang Zhongyu, the son of Sikong Zhang Yi, who was in the same circle with him back then, has now become a respected and important official.

Now Zhang Zhongyu is becoming famous in the circle of powerful people in Luoyang. Everyone says that he has inherited the talents of his father, Sikong Zhang Yi, and that the Zhang family will produce another important official in the future.

The last time Hou Yuan attended Zhang Zhongyu's party, he found that he could no longer fit in with their circle. The children of noble families who were granted important positions were all talking about major affairs of the court, and Zhang Zhongyu kept talking about the court's employment system, which made Hou Yuan very annoyed. He left after eating only half of his meal.

A few days ago, his father Hou Gang suggested that he go to Liuzhen to serve as the military commander, and then get some military merits to be transferred back to Luoyang to serve as an official. Hou Gang had already prepared himself mentally to stay in the desolate Liuzhen for a while.

But he didn't expect that he would be offered the position of Yulin Caiguan Brigade Commander. This position was also just a low-ranking military position, but it was much better than going to the Six Garrisons which was tantamount to exile.

As long as he sits in this position for a while, and waits for the selection by the Ministry of Personnel, he can be selected into the Yulin Lang, and be back on the same starting line with Zhang Zhongyu and others.

But can we really get back to the same starting line? Hou Yuan thought of the contempt shown by Zhang Zhongyu and other high-ranking officials at the banquet that day, and also thought of their previous gossips about his father Hou Gang starting out as a chef. Hou Yuan couldn't help but feel jealous and hateful towards them.

His father was also an important official in the court. Why should he start his career in the military just because his family background was not as good as theirs? He was expelled from the Yulin Army just because he made a "small mistake", and even his father was demoted as a result.

Zhang Zhongyu and others could be directly granted official positions in the court after they were crowned, and these were good positions that they could not even dream of.

Hou Gang continued, "There is one more thing. The son of the Han Yulin who fought with you last time is also in the Yulin Army and participated in this selection. If you run into him in the Yulin Army in the future, don't make trouble again!"

Hou Yuan agreed immediately, but didn't take it to heart.

He could not remember what the Han Yu Lin Lang whom he killed looked like. He heard that he was a poor man with no family background, who was lucky enough to be promoted to Yu Lin Lang by Emperor Xiaowen. He sat on the bench in this position for more than ten years, so Hou Yuan dared to conflict with him.

Just beat him to death. Now that the man is dead, what threat can his son pose?
Not far from Hou Gang's tent, Zhang Zhongyu was also gathering with a group of lads from a prominent family named Jia.

"Without the chef's son, it feels less vulgar and fishy today!"

A brother of the same clan beside Zhang Zhongyu said this, and the surrounding noble children with the surname Jia also echoed him.

Another well-informed son of an aristocratic family said, "I heard that Hou the chef has been favored by King Jiangyang and his son has been allowed to join the Imperial Guard again. He wants to wait for the Ministry of Personnel to select and appoint him as an official."

Upon hearing the news of the appointment, some of the noble children of the Jia family present showed envious eyes.

Even among the noble families with the surname Jia, there were different classes, and there were also distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate children, and between close and distant relatives. It was rare for someone like Zhang Zhongyu to be appointed as a Secretary just by being crowned, even among the noble families with the surname Jia.

However, the sons of a noble family with the surname Jia could not choose those corrupt official positions when they started their careers, otherwise they would be laughed at by people in the same circle. The highest-ranking official positions were the Zuo Zhulang, Jiao Shulang, and Jie Shi Zhong in the Menxia Province. The next highest positions were Ye Zhe and Yu Shi. The next highest positions were Yu Lin Lang and Huben Lang. These were considered acceptable starting positions.

Zhang Zhongyu thought of Hou Yuan's impolite behavior at the last banquet, and he said to everyone, "I discussed this with Grandpa last time. It is really a disgrace to let military men participate in the selection, especially for such a noble position!"

Zhang Zhongyu's words were not entirely directed at Hou Yuan. As a secretary, he was responsible for making suggestions, and his reputation was also an important asset for his promotion.

As the children of civil officials, preventing military officers from entering the officialdom was the politically correct thing to do and it also met the political needs of the family.

After all, there are only so many good positions. If some people have fewer, some people will have more.

Zhang Zhongyu was also a little excited. He said, "I have long planned to write to the court to prohibit military personnel from participating in the selection of noble positions. If you are willing to support me, you can write to the court officials to agree with me, or ask the elders in your family to support me!"

Looking at the cheers from below, Zhang Zhongyu smiled. If this succeeded, his reputation among the nobles in the court would surely increase greatly. A few years later, when he was dressed in rich and powerful clothes, what kind of scene would it be when Hou Yuan, who was still a member of the Yulin Army at that time, saw him?

(End of this chapter)