At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

A feeling of embarrassment, guilt and pleasure swept Zhuge Liang's heart.

So at this moment, the young Zhuge Liang made the decision to leave Jingzhou and return north.

He is clear that what he considers to be a matter of hesitation, but in the view of his friends, it is an opportunity that cannot be dreamed of.

So Zhuge Liang not only decided to go by himself, but also did not forget to give some benefits to his friends.

"I will take you to meet my elder brother. We will all participate in this talent-discussion ceremony. If unfortunately we lose the election, maybe elder brother can find a way out for us. Yuan Zhi, what do you think?"

Xu Shu was four years older than Zhuge Liang, and now he is 22 years old. He is already a proper adult, but he has not been able to become an official. Now is the time for Xu Shu to seek an official.

It's a pity that he was born in a humble landlord family, not from a noble family.

Although relying on a little chance and his own excellent talent, he was able to enter the school and study with the children of the gentry, but the gap in status cannot be smoothed out by talent.

When he first came to Jingzhou to study in his early years, he was despised because of his bad background, and no one wanted to associate with him.

Later, he studied hard, studied hard, and gradually showed his talent, and then he gained the friendship of a few gentry friends who did not look above the top and did not discriminate against those from poor families.

Zhuge Liang is one of them.

Xu Shu knew that there were selections and eliminations in the Talent Discussion Ceremony, so in case of losing the selection, Zhuge Liang was willing to get rid of Zhuge Jin to recommend him and find a way for him to match him. This was a great kindness in Xu Shu's view.

It's like double insurance.

So Xu Shu couldn't help being a little excited.

"really?"

"really."

Zhuge Liang nodded decisively.

"Great! Kong Ming, if that's the case, Xu Yuan owes you a favor!"

Xu Shu's face was full of excitement.

It wasn't until this time that Zhuge Liang understood more deeply that his background and luck were beyond the reach of many people.

Subsequent events also confirmed this view.

After Shi Tao and Meng Jian heard the news, they were also very surprised, so they joined hands to find Zhuge Liang, jokingly saying that Zhuge Liang should not favor one person over another, and that we are all good friends.

Having said that, Zhuge Liang heard a sense of reality.

There are no pure jokes, all jokes have real elements, and some jokes are even more true than serious words.

These two people, one from Yingchuan and the other from Runan, both came from noble families.

However, in the era of war and chaos, the network of relationships that scholars relied on to maintain their power was broken up, and the network of interests formed by relying on in-laws, mutual promotion of filial piety, and mutual admiration of business was destroyed.

The old ones were destroyed by the war and Guo Peng, and the new relationship network formed after Guo Peng's complete reshuffle has begun to take shape.

And when the new relationship network is formed, they are not in it.

Now that the north is stable, it is very difficult for them to return to the new network of relationships in their hometown, because no one is willing to take them to play, and they even have to go back to Zhuge Xuan's old path and re-enter that circle.

Zhuge Liang has ready-made ones here, so of course they must make the most of them, otherwise relying on their already weakened family power, it may not be so easy to enter the Guowei regime, which is already a well-established ruling group.

So Shi Tao and Meng Jian seized this opportunity and asked Zhuge Liang for help as a joke, but they took the joke seriously in their hearts.

Zhuge Liang naturally also noticed the sincerity of the two friends, and immediately sighed very much, feeling as if he had suddenly entered a terrible vanity fair.

In this vanity fair, is there still a sincere friendship?

Zhuge Liang naturally agreed, so Meng Jian and Shi Tao left happily.

In the end, it was not known who was not strict with his mouth, and the news spread quickly.

As a result, some of the students in the academy who were born in small and medium-sized gentry and lost their family network, had no kinship within the Guo Wei regime, and were worried about their future and were running around seeking connections immediately became concerned.

They immediately forgot how they once used verbal violence against Zhuge Liang.

I also forgot how they forced Zhuge Liang to behave with his tail between his legs, and even almost ruined the Zhuge family.

In the officialdom, many friends have many paths, and they are not only looking for one Zhuge Liang, but also other related people. Based on the principle of asking for one more opportunity, it is naturally good to have one more Zhuge Liang.

With a shy face, he went to Zhuge Liang's residence to visit Zhuge Liang with some gifts in twos and threes, and then spoke humbly with a smiling face, hoping that Zhuge Liang could say a few words to his elder brother, and then help them find a position under Duke Wei's command.

People like them actually have a bright future, because they are shameless and they will cheat.

Zhuge Liang was able to handle it at the beginning, but as more and more people came to visit him, he was very annoyed and disgusted by these people, so he couldn't help speeding up his preparations to leave Jingzhou.

He bid farewell to his teachers Pang Degong and Sima Shuijing, and bid farewell to his father-in-law, Jingzhou famous scholar Huang Chengyan.

Mr. Pang De and Sima Hui really appreciated Zhuge Liang's talent. Regarding the news of Zhuge Liang's decision to return to the north, they knew it clearly, and even had a little yearning for it.

But after all, their identities are different from those of a young man without an official position. If they leave now, it would be too embarrassing.

Zhuge Liang is still young and can go, but they can't.

They are getting older, and their characters are fixed. They want to save face and cannot leave, otherwise the characters they have created all their lives will be ruined.

But it doesn't matter, as long as many scholars in the academy, including Zhuge Liang, can find a good position, then their future will not be very difficult.

So Sima Hui and Pang Degong encouraged Zhuge Liang, saying that the talent in Zhuge Liang's belly was enough for him to obtain a certain status under the talented Guo Peng, and Zhuge Liang would definitely be appreciated by Guo Peng.

Zhuge Liang was noncommittal about this, and bid farewell to the two elders who had been kind to him.

Then, Zhuge Liang came to Huang Chengyan's mansion to bid farewell to his father-in-law, Huang Chengyan.

Huang Chengyan admired Zhuge Liang's talent and felt that Zhuge Liang must not be a simple person in the future.

So when many people were not optimistic about Zhuge Liang, they agreed to Zhuge Xuan's marriage proposal and betrothed their daughter to Zhuge Liang.

Now it seems that, not to mention talent, this luck is very good.

But in the final analysis, Zhuge Liang is also a young man with the common faults of young people, so in order to prevent him from making mistakes, Huang Chengyan felt that he had to tell Zhuge Liang some things in advance.

"This time, Duke Wei presided over the ceremony to select Wei officials, not Han officials, do you know?"

Chapter 635 .640 Four Belongs to Zhuge Liang's Bright Future

Huang Chengyan's question was very in-depth, and Zhuge Liang was also aware of the difference in the names of the two.

And I can vaguely guess the difference between being a Wei official and being a Han official in the future.

"My son-in-law knows that my elder brother is also a Wei official, not a Han official. Wei Gong is the king of the Wei state. Naturally, no one can criticize the selection of Wei officials in such a way as the Talent Discussion Ceremony."

Zhuge Liang replied like this.

"Well, it's good to know, then do you know the difference between Wei officials and Han officials?"

Huang Chengyan looked at Zhuge Liang.

"Wei officials are loyal to Duke Wei, but Han officials are not."

Zhuge Liang pondered for a while and answered cautiously.

"Then do you know the difference between being a Wei official and being a Han official now?"

Huang Chengyan asked again.

Zhuge Liang was silent for a while, pursed his lips, and said in a low voice: "My father-in-law means that Wei officials are more promising than Han officials?"

The corners of Huang Chengyan's mouth curled up slightly, but he didn't answer the question directly.

"It's been more than a year since the first emperor died in Hongnong. Duke Wei was too busy fighting in all directions, so he didn't have time to establish a new emperor. Now that Duke Wei has ended the war, the matter of establishing the emperor may be on the agenda. But at this moment, It is time to convene a ceremony to select Wei officials, do you understand the meaning here?"

Zhuge Liang was a little puzzled by Monk Zhang Er.

"Also ask my father-in-law to clarify."

"Kong Ming, you understand it in your heart. I won't tell you about this matter. Think about it slowly, and you will understand."

Huang Chengyan shook his head, feeling that Zhuge Liang already knew what Zhuge Liang should know when he said this, and then, regardless of Zhuge Liang's doubts, Huang Chengyan talked to him about something else.

"You have lived in Jingzhou for a long time, and you don't know much about many things that you will know after you become a politician. Your brother is not very old. I won't tell you some things. Your brother may not know too much."

Huang Chengyan took Zhuge Liang's hand, asked his son-in-law to sit down with him, and slowly taught Zhuge Liang some precious life experience.

"Do you know the origin of the group of people who are the most favored and have the highest status and authority under Duke Wei's command?"

"I don't know."

Zhuge Liang shook his head.

Huang Chengyan said slowly: "They are all the people who followed Wei Gong when he was the prefect of Shanggu County. There were scribes and military generals. Wei Gong first followed the former Taiwei Lu Gong to fight against the Yellow Scarves, and then led his own troops to take office. General Hu Karasuma, has the earliest people to follow him.

At that time, those people were all relatives of Duke Wei. Wei Gong was born in Yingchuan, but he grew up in Qiao County, Peiguo County. The clansmen of the Cao family and the Xiahou family who followed Wei Gong in the war are now in high positions under Wei Gong's command.

General Cao Ren, Cao Hong and Xia Houyuan, Cao Cao, Prime Minister of Wei State, and Xia Houdun, Governor of Runan, are all trusted ministers of Duke Wei. There are also civil servants, a small number of people from the Guo family in Yingchuan, Gu Yong from Jiangdong, and Xuzhou. Mi Zhu and Zaozhi from Qiao County were the first to follow Duke Wei.

These people are already high-ranking elders, and each has its own power, which is not something you can touch. You are not the first to follow Wei Gong, so the most important thing to go to Wei Gong is to find the right way. For you For me, the so-called doorway is to find a group of people who are right in my native place. "

Zhuge Liang nodded as he listened, and at the end, he asked: "So, the door that my son-in-law needs to find is from Xuzhou?"

"Yes, you are from Langya County, Xuzhou. You also understand why you can't even be a Xiaolian in Jingzhou. It's because you are not a native of Jingzhou. But if you go to Duke Wei, you will not have such troubles. There are masters from all over the country under Duke Wei's command."

Huang Chengyan nodded, and said slowly: "Except for the group of people who followed Duke Wei the first time, if the people who follow later want to ensure their own status and power, the most effective behavior is to embrace people of the same origin. At the same time, form a township party and think of it as assistance in the officialdom.

It is necessary to know that the officialdom is dangerous, and it is difficult to support a single tree. Without the help of the township party, nothing can be done, especially under the command of Duke Wei. The scholars and generals of each state agree with each other. If you want to enter the command of Duke Wei, you need to do the same to gain a firm foothold. But now, the most powerful Xuzhou native under Duke Wei's command is Mi Zhu. "

"Inspector of Qingzhou, Mi Zhu Zizhong."

Zhuge Liang said softly.

"Yes, Governor of Qingzhou, Mi Zhu Zizhong."

Huang Chengyan smiled and said: "This person is also one of the first to follow Duke Wei. Relying on his family business and trade routes in Xuzhou, he sold war horses from the North to Huainan and Jiangnan for Duke Wei. He made a lot of money. He got huge sums of money. They are all used by the Duke of Wei to support the soldiers and the people.

Wei Gong felt his contribution, so he took Qimei as the first concubine under his wife, and promoted her from the county magistrate to the county magistrate as a noble concubine. He can be said to be the most honored and favored. "

"I see."

Zhuge Liang nodded: "Xuzhou people have served Duke Wei for a short time, so their status is generally not high. Only Shijun Mi has served Duke Wei early, so Shijun Mi is the most powerful Xuzhou native under Duke Wei."

"That's right, not only that, Mi Zizhong is also a relative of Duke Wei, and is highly trusted."

Huang Chengyan said solemnly: "Although Mi Zizhong was born in a merchant family, since he has become a family member of Wei Gong, his status is aloof, and he has the merits of Yuan Cong, his future prospects are limitless. If he seizes the opportunity, it is not impossible to change from a merchant family to a scholar family." .”

Zhuge Liang took a deep breath and roughly figured out some things.

"In addition, Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, a famous scholar from Xuzhou, and others joined Duke Wei's command to work for Duke Wei, but the time was short and their power was not obvious. They also made friends with Mi Zizhong one after another. You and your brother are both Xuzhou people, remember to get close to Xuzhou people."

Huang Chengyan passed on his life experience to Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang was very moved, but although he understood it in his heart, he was still a little uncomfortable.

"Since ancient times, it is not the right way for officials to form cliques. Why did my father-in-law teach me this?"

"The emperor doesn't like it, but in order to save the lives of the whole family, this is also a helpless move."

Huang Chengyan shook his head: "You don't form a party, but if you have a political enemy, and your political enemy forms a party, and your political enemy gathers his accomplices to attack you, you are alone, how can you protect yourself?"

Zhuge Liang didn't know what to say.

"There are not so many rumors about righteousness and evil in officialdom. You don't understand it now, but when you become an official in the future, you will know why. Kong Ming, ask your brother about everything, your brother I'm older than you, and I have more knowledge than you, so don't make your own claims."

Huang Chengyan patted the back of Zhuge Liang's hand: "The general trend of the world is becoming clearer, and it is a foregone conclusion that the scholars from the north will return home. What your uncle has done in Jingzhou may not be counted, but this is not your uncle's problem. This world is changing too fast for everyone to react."

Zhuge Liang was silent again, thinking of Zhuge Xuan's painstaking efforts in the camp, he felt very uncomfortable.

"But if you can make a career under Wei Gong's command, think about it, and you will not let down your uncle's painstaking efforts."

Huang Chengyan sighed: "The general trend of the world is in the hands of Duke Wei. This is an irreversible situation. You only need to climb the last step to see the sun and hope."

Huang Chengyan pointed his hand to the north, and Zhuge Liang also followed Huang Chengyan's guidance to look north, as if he could see his own infinitely beautiful future.

Chapter 636 The scientific process of usurping the throne

At the end of June in the sixth year of Xingping, news came that Hanzhong had been conquered.

Then came the news that Guo Peng had newly established Shangyong County and stationed [-] troops in Fangling. Since then, the Wei army directly threatened Xiangyang, and Liu Biao's core hinterland was seriously threatened.

Liu Biao was terrified, and started arguing with the officials to move the government.

This move further promoted the wave of scholars from other places returning to the north, but Liu Biao had no time to pay attention.