Chapter 61: A Bookworm is Useless in a Hundred Ways

  Wen Hui's face turned red and white, and he laughed at himself: "It seems that eloquence can't convince you, maybe going to see it with your own eyes is a good idea. Liu brother, I have no way to persuade you, but that doesn't mean I agree with your views. How about this, let's go to the post house together and take a look at Huo Yan Yun, maybe he has a different opinion."

  Liu Xiu burst out laughing and cupped his hands, saying: "My original intention was indeed to see is to believe. I've been saying that we need to understand the situation. If it's really as you said, and pacifying can keep Youzhou safe, isn't that a good thing?"

  Wen Hui shook his head helplessly. Liu Bei saw that they had argued to the end without any result, but Wen Hui's proud air when he first came was gone, and he felt quite pleased in his heart. He immediately led them out of the door, had Zhang Fei prepare a carriage, and the three of them rushed together to the post house to see Yan Rou.

  Yan Rou had nursed his wound for several days and had basically recovered. He was discussing with his brother Yan Zhi about hurrying to make a trip to the grasslands when he heard that Liu Xiu and others had arrived, and couldn't help but feel some surprise. Then he heard that the son of the Taishou, Wen Hui, was also traveling with him, so it wouldn't be good not to see them.

  As soon as Liu Xiu saw Yan Rou, he apologized. Yan Rou knew that this matter had nothing to do with Liu Xiu, it was all done by Dun Wu to provoke Liu Xiu. Moreover, a notorious horse bandit like himself being defeated by a young boy who had only learned martial arts for over a dozen days would not be glorious if spread out, so he might as well pretend that nothing had happened and laughed it off with a couple of "hahas".

  Yan Rou fell silent for a long time after listening to Liu Xiu's words, and finally said: "Thank you for your appreciation, I'm very grateful. However, as I said earlier, I'd be happy to tell them about the grasslands, but if it comes to whether we can go to war with the Hu people, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. You also know that the reason I went to Peach Valley was because I didn't want you all to think things were too simple."

  He glanced at Wen Hui and sighed: "Although the young master has already said that it's difficult, I think things are more troublesome than you imagined."

  "Why?" Even Wen Hui was puzzled this time.

  Yan Rou pressed her lips tightly, thinking for a long time before raising her head to say to Wen Hui: "Although the young master's words are severe, I'm afraid you still have a hint of luck in your heart, thinking that although the Hu people are good at fighting, when it comes to strategy, they may not be a match for the Han people, so there is the idea of retreating and planning for the long term."

  Wen Hui hesitated for a moment and nodded silently, he indeed thought so.

  "But now, among the Hu people, there are many who are not ordinary in intelligence and strategy. Many of them were once great Han people, and some were even famous scholars among the Han people." Yan Rou let out a silent sigh: "These people, even in the Great Han, were not ordinary talents."

  Liu Xiu was greatly perplexed and couldn't understand, could it be that those were the real Han traitors?

  Wen Hui's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes narrowing slightly, and his expression tensed: "You're saying... those party members who escaped from Sai Gou?"

  Yan Rou nodded and then shook her head: "There are party members among them, but not just party members. The Han Dynasty has been dominated by eunuchs in recent years, causing so many problems, it's not just as simple as the two Party Purges."

  Liu Xiu was confused, what did "Dang Kou" mean and why twice? Was there anything else besides Dang Kou?

  "Alas..." Wen Hui let out a long sigh, his face heavy with emotion, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

  Yan Rou didn't say anything more, agreed to attend the banquet on time, and politely sent Liu Xiu and others out. Liu Xiu was unclear about what had happened and wanted to ask Wen Hui, but Wen Hui's mind was preoccupied and he wasn't in the mood to explain, so he waited to ask Liu Bei, who had run ahead to lead the way.

  Liu Xiu had no choice but to hide his doubts in his heart. After returning to the Zhang family, he entered the Peach Garden and asked Wen Hui to take a seat. Wen Hui, who was worried and flustered, only then noticed Liu Xiu's doubts and briefly explained them.

  It turns out that the imperial court of the Great Han has been in a state of irreparable chaos all these years.

  From the time of Emperor Guangwu, there have been eleven emperors in total. However, except for the first three emperors - Guangwu, Ming and Zhang - most of the subsequent emperors ascended to the throne at a young age, resulting in power falling into the hands of their mothers, the empress dowagers. There were several empress dowagers who took charge of state affairs, including Ma, Dou, and Liang. As women, they could not directly control politics, so they relied on their relatives by marriage, making the eunuchs the greatest threat to the Han dynasty. The most arrogant of them was General-in-Chief Liang Ji, who allegedly had Emperor Zhi poisoned after he called him "arrogant general". He dominated politics for over twenty years and could be said to have wielded imperial power without the title of emperor. It wasn't until Emperor Huan borrowed the strength of the eunuchs that he was finally able to eliminate Liang Ji.

  However, for the Han Dynasty, this was not a cause for celebration. Although the power of the imperial relatives had been temporarily suppressed, the eunuchs, who would bring even greater disaster, rose to power and became another source of trouble that threatened the foundations of the Han Dynasty. From the day when Emperor Huan appointed five marquises until now, when the twelve attendants controlled the government, the court of the Han Dynasty was a court dominated by eunuchs. Once they were provoked, there was always the possibility of stirring up violent storms.

  The most notable of these was the two Party Proscriptions, which almost completely destroyed the vitality of the Han Dynasty. The most recent one occurred in the second year after the current emperor ascended to the throne. The Central Regular Attendant Hou Fen falsely accused Yu Fang, the former Minister of Works, Li Ying, the Junior Minister of the Household of the Heir Apparent, Du Mi, the Colonel of the Imperial Guards, and others of being part of the "eunuch clique". The emperor issued an edict to the provinces and commanderies to arrest those who were part of the "eunuch clique", almost completely eliminating all heroes and famous scholars in the country.

  Some were killed, some were imprisoned for life, and some escaped. Among those who fled through Youzhou, the number of Tang people was not small.

  Among these people, there were certainly those who sought fame and fortune, but also many with real talent and learning. Some of them must have lost faith in the Great Han and defected to the Xianbei, bringing their skills with them. They had once hoped to serve the Great Han, but now they were being persecuted as party members, and it was inevitable that some would harbor resentment. Moreover, having arrived on the grasslands, they had no other means of survival, and for the sake of living or seeking revenge, it was possible for them to plot and scheme for the Hu people.

  "The great Han is like a tall building that collapses its own pillars." Wen Hui finally concluded, looking at Liu Xiu with an expression of both concern and sorrow.

  Liu Xiu's face turned gloomy, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and after thinking for a long time, he suddenly asked: "It's tolerable that the imperial relatives are involved, but those eunuchs are mostly people with no learning, how can all the talents in the world not surpass a few eunuchs?"

  Wen Hui was shocked, and finally let out a bitter laugh. He felt that there was nothing more to say to Liu Xiu, as he didn't even understand such simple logic: "Eunuchs are ignorant, but they rely on the emperor's power. The emperor ascended to the throne at a young age, what does he know? Isn't it just whatever the eunuchs say goes? The high-ranking officials in the court have abilities, but once the emperor issues an edict, what can they do?"

  "So you're saying the root of the problem still lies with Tianzi?" Liu Xiu said with a hint of a smile.

  "That goes without saying." Wen Hui snorted in a bad mood, both annoyed and amused. Liu Xiu was eloquent when debating with him, how could he be so stupid on this issue?

  "But I heard that when Emperor Xiaowen was in power, the Chancellor wanted to kill his favorite minister, and even Emperor Xiaowen couldn't do anything about it?"

  "At that time, it was also the case." Wen Hui and others lost interest in talking to him: "After Emperor Xiaowu of Han exclusively respected Confucianism, he established the Imperial Secretariat to take over the power of the Chancellor, and the three dukes held honorable positions but had light powers, they were just nominal titles, where was the majesty of the time of Emperor Wen of Han?"

  "Ah, I see." Liu Xiu laughed heartlessly, not caring that Wen Hui's face turned ugly. He continued to say, "I still think it's not entirely unreasonable for so many self-proclaimed knowledgeable scholars and Confucians to be taken down by a few eunuchs."

  "What exactly do you want to say?" Wen Hui couldn't hold back his anger and lightly slapped the desk in front of him.

  "I'm saying, you bookworms... have read yourselves stupid." Liu Xiu leaned forward and smiled playfully: "Having read books for a lifetime, only to be manipulated by a few eunuchs into such a state, can only prove one thing."

  "What's up?"

  "Reading books to death, reading dead books, dying from reading books." Liu Xiu thought for a moment and added another sentence: "A scholar is useless in a hundred ways."