Luoyang, the Zhong Residence.
Sima Fu and Gao Rou sat on either side.
Zhong Yu sat before them, with servants beside him serving tea.
Sima Fu spoke first. "Zhishu."
"All the ministers in the realm are working hard to govern the land, yet your younger brother's recent conduct has been most improper."
"If you let him carry on like this, I fear the ministers will no longer tolerate the Zhong Family."
Gao Rou set down his teacup and could not help saying, "When the Marquis of Dingling was still alive, he took great care of me. I often listened to his teachings and treated him as my own teacher. Our families were close, and several of my sons grew up alongside you."
"But this younger brother of yours used to obey the Grand General's every word, even exploiting our families' relationship to deceive me."
"Now that the Grand General is gone, I thought your brother had talent that could serve the realm, so I overlooked what he had done in the past."
"But these past few days, he hasn't stopped for a single moment."
"First, he brought Cao Yu and the others barging into Luoyang, leaving us no time to respond and no choice but to accept them. Then he sowed discord with the General Who Guards and Protects, making him fall out with his own elders. Now he's inciting the Imperial Academy students to spread rumors in Luoyang! And he's gone into hiding in the Central Army Camp, doing who knows what..."
"Zhishu, however close I was to your father, I can no longer tolerate this behavior!"
Gao Rou frowned, his expression thoroughly ugly.
In just these few days, Zhong Hui had caused the ministers enormous trouble.
First came the matter of Cao Yu and Xiahou Xian. Only after