Chapter 93

At this moment, one of Cai Yong's stewards walked in and respectfully said, "Reporting to Master, there is a young master surnamed Gu outside who claims to be your disciple and wishes to visit you."

Cai Yong was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, "He really does come when called. Quickly, go and invite Yuan Tan in."

Before long, Gu Yong was led to the hall by a servant.

"Your student, Gu Yong, pays respects to Master." Gu Yong immediately performed a deep bow upon seeing Cai Yong. Gu Yong was only about twenty years old, not much older than Liu Yao.

"Yuan Tan, come, come, let me introduce you. This is your junior, the current Crown Prince Liu Yao," Cai Yong hurriedly introduced.

Gu Yong was startled. He had long known that his master Cai Yong had taken the current Crown Prince as a disciple, but he had been in his hometown of Wu for many years and had never had the chance to meet him. In recent years, Liu Yao's fame had spread far and wide, defeating the Wuhuan and crushing the Yellow Turbans. Who didn't know of him? This time, Gu Yong had come to seek Cai Yong precisely to be introduced to Liu Yao and seek a position. He had some confidence in his own abilities.

"Your humble servant, Gu Yong, pays respects to Your Highness," Gu Yong hurriedly bowed.

"Yuan Tan, please rise. In fact, I should call you senior brother," Liu Yao said with a smile.

"Unworthy, unworthy," Gu Yong waved his hands.

Liu Yao pretended to be displeased, "Why unworthy? We are both disciples of Master, so you naturally deserve the title of senior brother. I have heard much about your great name, but have never had the chance to meet you. I wonder if you would be willing to serve under me."

Gu Yong was delighted, "Your servant, Gu Yong, pays respects to Lord. This time, I have come precisely to seek service under Lord."

"Good!! With your talent, you are more than qualified to be a governor. When we return to Youzhou, I will appoint you as the governor of Shanggu. How does that sound?" Liu Yao said with a smile.

To his surprise, Gu Yong showed no joy and shook his head, "Reporting to Lord, I do not wish to be a governor. Please appoint me as a county magistrate first. If I can achieve something, then I will take up the position of governor later."

Liu Yao's opinion of Gu Yong rose even higher. He understood Gu Yong's thoughts. Gu Yong did not want to rely on Liu Yao's connections to gain a high position, as that would inevitably lead to people saying Liu Yao favored his relatives. He wanted to rely on his own abilities and rise step by step. This way, he would not cause trouble for Liu Yao and could also hone his skills, achieving two goals at once.

"Good. With such ambition, I, your junior, naturally agree," Liu Yao said with a smile.

"Thank you, Lord, for your understanding," Gu Yong thanked him.

"Ha ha, today is a great day with the arrival of my senior brother. Why not have a good drink?" Liu Yao laughed.

Cai Yan frowned, "Yao, have you forgotten that you have to attend court tomorrow? How can you get drunk?"

"Ah." Liu Yao had indeed forgotten. He then smiled bitterly, "Senior brother, this will have to be postponed for a few days. At that time, I will also introduce you to my colleagues."

"Meeting the Emperor is important. The rest are trivial matters. Lord need not worry," Gu Yong said seriously.

Because he had to attend court the next day, Liu Yao had to go to bed early. It's worth mentioning the social skills of women, especially those of similar age. In just one afternoon, Cai Yan and Diaochan had become sisters, and their relationship was very harmonious. As for Liu Xin, she was very fond of the two future empresses. Having only Liu Yao as a playmate since childhood, she was naturally very excited to meet two peers.

That night, Zhang Rang learned of Liu Yao's affairs through the two eunuchs, who naturally embellished the story. Zhang Rang was somewhat displeased. After all, he was a favorite of Emperor Ling. Although Liu Yao was the Crown Prince, whether he would inherit the throne was still uncertain. To dare to defy him like this, Zhang Rang inevitably harbored some resentment towards Liu Yao.

However, Zhang Rang also knew that Liu Yao's status in the court and in Emperor Ling's heart was quite high, so it was better to maintain good relations. Therefore, that night, he sent the heads of the two eunuchs to Cai Yong's residence. If Liu Yao hadn't seen these heads, he would have really forgotten about the matter. He didn't have the time to deal with these minor figures.

Liu Yao wanted to have a falling out with the Ten Attendants, or rather, not just a falling out, but a complete and utter enmity. If they could become mortal enemies, Liu Yao would be even more satisfied. If not, some future matters would be difficult to handle. The Ten Attendants' backing was Emperor Ling, and with Emperor Ling's support, Liu Yao naturally wouldn't fear the Ten Attendants causing trouble for him.

The next morning, Liu Yao went directly to the palace and was led to the court by a eunuch. Others, such as Huangfu Song, Dong Zhuo, and Cao Cao, also went to receive Emperor Ling's rewards.

In the court, Emperor Ling sat high on the dragon throne. Liu Yao, as the Crown Prince, stood at the front. As for people like Sun Jian and Cao Cao, it was already quite good that they had a place to stand at the end.

"Your Excellencies, this time in quelling the Yellow Turbans, you have all done a great service..." Emperor Ling began with a lot of formalities. Then he had Zhang Rang read out the imperial edict and announce the rewards for everyone.

First to be rewarded were the two great contributors, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun. As for Lu Zhi, who was still in prison, he did not receive any reward. Huangfu Song was appointed as the Left Chariot and Cavalry General, Governor of Ji Province, and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Huaili, with the fief of Huaili and Meiyang, totaling 8,000 households. He was also rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and a thousand bolts of silk.

Zhu Jun was appointed as the Right Chariot and Cavalry General, Grand Secretary, with an additional 5,000 households, and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Qiantang. He was also rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and a thousand bolts of silk. Zhu Jun had jumped several ranks at once.

Next, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu were also rewarded, but their positions were not high. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, who had barely shown up, still managed to get positions due to their reputation as the Three Excellencies.

As for Dong Zhuo, he not only had no merit but had suffered a great defeat. By rights, he should have been punished, but he was willing to spend money. He had already bribed the Ten Attendants, so even as a defeated general, he was appointed as the Governor of Hedong.

As for Liu Yao's subordinates like Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, they did not receive promotions this time, only some gold and silk.

Finally, it was Liu Yao's turn, the one with the greatest merit.

"Appoint Liu Yao as the Grand Chariot and Cavalry General of the Han Dynasty. Reward him with two thousand gold pieces and two thousand bolts of silk. So decreed." With Zhang Rang's announcement, the rewards were concluded.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," everyone said in unison.

However, the reward for Liu Yao made Yuan Feng, the old man, quite surprised. He had not expected that this time Liu Yao's position was only raised to Grand Chariot and Cavalry General. This was no different from not being rewarded at all. But this suited Yuan Feng's wishes.

This time, Yuan Feng had not planned to make any further suggestions to cause trouble for Liu Yao. He knew that Emperor Ling trusted Liu Yao absolutely. Going up there would only invite scolding, and Yuan Feng had no masochistic tendencies.

However, this was what made him very depressed. Emperors and crown princes, or powerful princes like Liu Yao, who had their own armies, had a very delicate relationship.

The emperor could not do without an heir, but he also feared that the heir would gain power and overthrow him. There were precedents in Han history of crown princes being deposed. Emperor Jing had done this, deposing the then-crown prince Liu Rong. What Yuan Feng couldn't understand was why Liu Hong trusted Liu Yao so much and was not afraid that Liu Yao would seize the throne.