At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

"Such an important position was not given to Cao's Xiahou's nephew, nor to Lu Yu who grew up with him. Instead, it was given to this person. It seems that this person has a different status in His Majesty's heart. "

"So what? What else can you and I do?"

Guo Jia chuckled and drank another glass of wine.

Cao Cao sighed, raised his glass and was about to drink, when he suddenly became suspicious, looked at Guo Jia and asked, "Duke Shanyang's death was really caused by the elixir?"

"Meng De, I know what you think, but you are really wrong about this matter. At that time, the person who didn't want Duke Shanyang to die the most was precisely His Majesty today. Also, don't touch Dan. There is a real problem with the medicine."

Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao with a straight face.

"I don't know how to take elixirs. Birth, old age, sickness and death are birth, old age, sickness and death. I feel a little strange, why so many things collide together, it's a troubled time."

Cao Cao shook his head, tilted his head up and drank a glass of wine, and asked, "The disaster of Zaoyi, did you think that it would come to this point?"

"I didn't think about it that way at first, but after thinking about it later, I don't think it's strange."

Guo Jia smiled wryly: "Meng De, Your Majesty is taught by the Supreme Emperor for more than ten years, and he is on the throne with one hand. If Your Majesty can't clean up Zaoyi, do you think the result is better or worse than the current one?"

Cao Cao thought of Guo Peng who was on tour, and trembled for no reason.

"Benefits and blessings rely on, and blessings and misfortunes fall."

"exactly."

Guo Jia smiled and toasted: "The Supreme Emperor is in good health and can even travel far away. Although he has retired, the Supreme Emperor still controls the entire Wei State."

"Too."

Cao Cao also raised his glass with a smile, and had a drink with Guo Jia.

"That is to say, I don't know whether the reorganization of the tax department and the formation of tax officers are good or bad for us."

"Pay taxes honestly, of course you have nothing to do."

Guo Jia drank the wine in one gulp, picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks, chewed it in his mouth, and then swallowed it: "Don't tell me that your dignified chief minister of the cabinet still wants to evade taxes."

"Of course not, but as far as I know, there are quite a few people who do this. After 12 years of Yande, such things actually began to appear, but they were not put on the bright side. This time Cheng Zhongde made a move. Breaking the sky, His Majesty's formation of tax guards is probably a warning."

Cao Cao also put a piece of meat into his mouth, chewed for a while, frowned and spat it out.

"how?"

"It's boring, don't you think?"

"No, it's delicious, Meng De, your health is failing."

Guo Jia continued to gorge on the meat, chewing it in front of Cao Cao as if showing off.

"Go, go, people under the age of 50 are arguing with me, a 62-year-old old man."

Cao Cao was very upset and drank another glass of wine, and then continued the topic just now: "The tax guards have just been formed, and they may not act immediately. There is still time to remedy it. I am afraid that some ghosts will be reluctant to part with petty profits. Then it will be inevitable. It was a bloodbath."

"Is that petty profit?"

Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao.

Cao Cao thought for a while, um, it’s really not a petty profit, the more acres there are, the more taxes you pay, it’s really not a petty profit.

"But compared with the future and life, it's not that important."

"You and I think so, I'm afraid that some people don't think so."

Guo Jia shook his head: "But no matter what, once the tax guards are established, the tax collection by the tax department should be very attractive. At that time, I don't know how many people will break into the houses of the tax guards and parade them through the streets with iron ropes."

"From three generations onwards, since the Qin and Han Dynasties, my Wei imperial power has been very heavy."

Cao Cao sighed and said, "This is truly unprecedented."

"What do you want to say?"

Guo Jia swallowed a piece of meat.

"Feng Xiao, don't you have anything to say?"

Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia.

"I don't want to say anything, I don't want to do anything."

Guo Jia smiled: "It's better to say that I am very happy to be appointed by His Majesty to deal with Duke Shanyang. The staff station has not had a serious battle for a long time, and it makes me uncomfortable. I occasionally deal with some emergencies. I'm still very happy."

Cao Cao knew Guo Jia well, and knew that Guo Jia's personality had become a little depressed since he was punished by Guo Peng that year. He was no longer lively and active as before, and he rarely showed up.

Last year, Guo Hong passed away, and the surviving veterans of the Guo family were headed by Guo Jia. This time, Guo Jin took him as the elder of the clan and specially asked him to deal with the matter of Sanyang Gong Liu Jian, so that Guo Jia saw that he was reborn. Trusted hope.

Cao Cao has been working as the chief assistant of the cabinet and has handled government affairs for more than ten years. He has long been accustomed to this kind of life, and as long as Cao Lan is still alive, Cao Cao feels that he has no security problems.

But this time, Cao Cao had a different worry than before.

"I didn't expect Wang Zhongxuan's resignation."

"Wang Zhongxuan?"

Guo Jia paused, and put down the chopsticks in his hand: "Do you have a good relationship with Wang Zhongxuan? Why do I think the two of you don't have much contact with each other? Apart from the fact that you have both been chief ministers of the cabinet, do you have other friends?" An unknown relationship?"

"What is an unknown relationship?"

Cao Cao gave Guo Jia a blank look: "Although I have no personal friendship with Wang Zhongxuan, on the scene, my position with Wang Zhongxuan is the same."

"Understood, what His Majesty says is what it is."

Guo Jia chuckled: "So, Wang Zhongxuan was transferred and dismissed, do you feel very worried?"

"One emperor and one courtier, this is not a strange thing. On the contrary, since Xingyuan, the old ministers have not been replaced very much, and the newcomers are still getting seniority. This is not a common thing in itself. It is not a common thing to say that your majesty takes care of the emperor's emotions. You can't think like that, it's just..."

Cao Cao sighed: "Zaozhi's action has completely annoyed His Majesty. The emperor was angry, and the consequences are not something anyone can afford. Perhaps, Your Majesty already feels that we veterans do not meet his needs. "

Guo Jia pursed his lips and was silent for a moment.

"Don't worry too much. Wang Zhongxuan's dismissal has something to do with the fact that he lost the upper hand when arguing with Zaoyi before. You should know this. Wang Zhongxuan is weak, and he has been defeated by Shang Zaoyi. His majesty looked very bad at that time."

"I also know this. Although Wang Zhongxuan is weak, he still has talent. It is not a big problem to preside over the work of the Ministry of Finance for many years. His Majesty directly asked him to be transferred to another post, not just because of that incident, right?"

Cao Cao's complexion is not good, Guo Jia can also understand.

"Meng De, there are some things, you can't think like this, you forgot, your family Zixiu is coming back."

Chapter 1594 One thousand five hundred and ten four Guo Peng is frowning

As soon as Guo Jia mentioned Cao Ang, Cao Cao's complexion changed.

softened up.

After all, he is the eldest son whom he has not seen for many years. He has been working hard outside for so many years, and now he has finally earned enough merit to return to Luoyang Gaosheng. From then on, father and son can be reunited again. Why not be happy?

But is it really that simple?

"Ah, yes, Zixiu is coming back, and he still has to come back to the cabinet as a minister."

Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia: "So, Feng Xiao, do you think I should take the initiative to beg for bones?"

Guo Jia spread his hands.

"This matter is your matter. I only know that there are still many taboos for father and son working in the same department. If you can avoid it, you should avoid it as much as possible. Otherwise, Meng De, you and Zixiu are both relatives of the emperor. It doesn't sound good, does it?"

"Hehehehe."

Cao Cao shook his head and smiled: "I could tell at the time that His Majesty was discussing with me. Let Zixiu come back, and I will step back to make room for him. I am 62 years old, and His Majesty thinks I am too old to be used. .”

"What His Majesty wants to do, the Supreme Emperor is actually doing. His Majesty is just doing things according to what the Supreme Emperor wants to do. In fact, there is no difference."

Guo Jia picked up the chopsticks again: "It's just that Zaozhi has done a little too much."

"You know it's too much, why don't you stop Zaoyi? You and Zaoyi are the same group of Yuan Cong veterans who follow the Supreme Emperor, why don't you try to persuade them?"

"I'm from the staff desk. I'm going to persuade him? Then I guess I will fall down earlier than him."

Guo Jia smiled wryly, shook his head, and said, "Besides, I didn't expect things to develop to this point... who would have thought?"

"Yeah, who would have thought of that?"

The two looked at each other for a long time, suddenly feeling speechless.

After a moment of silence, Guo Jia asked, "Meng De, would you beg for bones?"

Cao Cao raised his wine glass and drank it dry.

"If I come down now, who will be the chief minister of the cabinet?"

Guo Jia thought seriously for a moment.

"It seems that there is no particularly suitable candidate. The chief minister of the cabinet must be someone who is close to your majesty. There are not many people who are close to your majesty today. Meng De, don't worry, even if your majesty means that, isn't it time yet?" ?”

Seeing Guo Jia mocking himself seriously, Cao Cao couldn't laugh or cry.

"When is it, you still talk to me like this?"

"When? The sky collapses and the earth is destroyed? Or is the world in chaos? During Dong Zhuo's chaos, shouldn't you and I still eat and drink? Why, when the family has a big business, you start to worry about gains and losses?"

"How many free and easy people like you are there? Feng Xiao, don't think of me as free and easy."

Cao Cao sighed: "My father has been away for a long time, and I have to be responsible for the entire Cao family. I can't retire until Zixiu enters the house and takes on the heavy responsibility of the Cao family. If I do, the Cao family will have no one to talk about. .”

"No talker? The Empress Dowager is the biggest talker in your family."

Guo Jia sighed: "You have only been reprimanded before, why have you ever experienced the same thing as me? Meng De, don't you know? You have a different position in the heart of the Supreme Emperor than I do."

"different?"

Cao Cao was suddenly in a trance, as if he had traveled through time and space, and saw the eight-year-old Guo Peng standing in front of him and smiling at him. Then the picture was broken, and the fierce Guo Peng blushed and scolded him loudly.

Is there really a difference?

maybe.

But when Cao Cao thought about it, there was no difference. Without Cao Lan, how could the situation of the Cao family be as good as it is now?

Even if there is Cao Lan, isn't Cao Hong also dismissed as he said, and Cao Ren also retired as he said?

In the army, the Cao family no longer has much right to speak. The highest military position is Cao Xiu, who is enjoying the wind and eating sand in the Zhenxi Dufu Mansion. It can't affect the entire Wei army at all. The entire Wei army's senior management has lost the position of the Cao family. .

In case I retreat again...there will be no more in the court, and Xiahou's family must be counted. Xiahou Dun is still drinking the wind and eating the sand in Mozhou.

Cao Cao was very melancholy.

Of course Cao Cao could not have imagined that Guo Peng would feel the same melancholy in the city of Chang'an not far away from him.

When the economic crisis reached its peak, Guo Peng arrived in Liangzhou. After the economic crisis passed, Guo Peng returned to Chang'an City, ending his westward journey.

In more than a year, Guo Peng walked to the westernmost part of the empire. He was only on a tour, but he happened to encounter the outbreak of a large-scale economic crisis, which had to delay a lot of time.

Of course, these time delays are not without value.

At least during this period of time, Guo Peng witnessed with his own eyes how Guo Jin controlled the court to solve the economic crisis without himself, and also saw how capable ministers and officials fought for Wei Guo and his own future of.

Guo Jin proved his ability and decisiveness to deal with the crisis. He manipulated Cheng Yu to launch a clean government storm, and used extremely sharp means to beat Zaoyi who crossed the line to death with a stick, solving the political crisis caused by this wave of economic crisis.

If this wave of political crisis cannot be resolved completely, the imperial power will inevitably be weakened, and the power that Guo Peng worked so hard to win back from the officials will inevitably leak out.

It's not easy to get it back again.

Although the centralization of power in the Wei Empire was not represented by an autocratic monarchy, even if the officials seized power, the centralization could still be maintained, but without the emperor's restraint, it is really hard to say how the officials will play with power.

In this era, a strong autocratic monarchy is the basis for the prosperity of the Wei Empire. If one day the monarch can no longer be autocratic, the Wei Empire will decline and fall apart.

This is too high a requirement for the quality of the monarch himself. Guo Peng has always worried that Guo Jin can't really do it, but this time, Guo Jin did it.

Faced with the huge political pressure from the ministers, he did not lose his position, and decisively released Cheng Yu as a countermeasure to defeat the Zaozhi Group in one fell swoop, and split up the Ministry of Civil Affairs to install his own forces.

Guo Jin began to really grasp the initiative of the court.

Before that, the imperial court's initiative was not actually in Guo Jin's hands, and the imperial court was operating normally according to its own will.

Guo Jin did not show her power and presence, which made Guo Peng a little anxious.

Han Feizi has read the article on promoting power so many times, how come he doesn't know the importance of promoting power?

Then it turned out that Guo Jin was waiting for a suitable opportunity to make a move, to wipe out his opponents and obtain the maximum benefit.

The subsequent series of personnel changes also allowed Guo Peng to see Guo Jin's political skills, and the large-scale introduction of Northwest officials was an important step in expanding his power in the court.

For a long time to come, as long as all the Northwest officials are in place, if Guo Jin wants to do something, the court will most likely not be able to stop Guo Jin, but will have to cooperate.