When Sima Zhao returned to his residence, Wang Yuanji, who had been waiting for a long time, greeted him and asked quietly: "How is it?"
Sima Zhao's initially dazed expression soon disappeared after seeing his Xijun, and was replaced by confusion:
"My lord, you want me not to return to Luoyang for the time being."
When Wang Yuanji heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
A bitter smile appeared on Sima Zhao's face:
"Your Excellency gave me another thing to do."
When Wang Yuanji saw Sima Zhao's expression, her just-relaxed mood suddenly rose again: "What?"
Sima Zhao swallowed a mouthful of saliva: "Your Excellency asked me to go to Chang'an to meet Feng Mingwen."
"What!"
Wang Yuanji's pretty face was full of shock and disbelief.
I finally left the dangerous place of Luoyang, but I didn't expect to go to the tiger's den again.
I had known this...
It’s better not to let your own Alang come to Yecheng!
The bitter smile on Sima Zhao's face became thicker and he shook his head:
"I don't know what you mean, sir."
Naturally, he didn't say what he was going to Chang'an for.
He still has this sense of confidentiality.
Wang Yuanji didn't ask, but even if she didn't ask, she could still guess a couple of things.
So she just asked in a low voice with concern:
"Is it dangerous for Alang to go to Chang'an?"
"I think should not be?"
Sima Zhao said no, but there was some hesitation on his face:
"Didn't I also meet Feng Mingwen a few years ago? Wasn't there nothing going on at that time? After all, the two countries were at war and Bu Zhan came to envoy."
Wang Yuanji's lips moved, but in the end she didn't say anything.
This time, that time.
At that time, the Han Dynasty first acquired Guanzhong and Bingzhou and other places. At this time, the world between Han and Wei had been turned upside down. How could they be compared?
If you really encounter someone who is unreasonable, even if you don't kill him, it will be very frustrating to detain him.
But thinking about the notorious Feng, Wang Yuanji felt that what Alang said was not completely unreasonable.
Just listening to the rumors, it seems that all the evil things in the world have been done by Feng.
But Wang Yuanji is not an ordinary woman, how could she believe those rumors so easily?
But the more evil the rumor became, the more Wang Yuanji did not believe that Feng, who could write such peerless articles, would be the person who committed all kinds of evil things.
As the saying goes, words are the voice of the heart, and writing is the picture of the heart. The nature of the mind can be seen in the articles.
In the end, she could only give a reminder: "Having said that, you still have to be extremely careful when Alang goes there."
Sima Zhao himself could see clearly:
"Xijun, don't worry too much about my safety during this trip."
After a pause, he finally couldn't help but sigh:
"Compared with my trip to Chang'an, I am more worried about where the Wei Dynasty will go in the future, and what will happen to our Sima clan..."
Wang Yuanji looked at Sima Zhao's confused look and comforted:
"Uncle can let A Lang go to Chang'an now. He must have made arrangements for it. Why should A Lang think too much? And even if A Lang thinks too much now, what's the use?"
"It's better to think carefully about how to handle the things that uncle has asked us to do. That's the right thing to do."
Sima Zhao was slightly surprised when he heard Wang Yuanji's words:
"Xijun, did you guess it?"
Wang Yuanji lowered her eyes and said softly: "Guess what? What Alang is talking about, I don't understand."
Sima Zhao knew that his younger brother was always smart and far-sighted.
Seeing that she refused to admit it at this time, I knew it was because the matter was important, so I just pretended not to know.
The two were silent for a while, and finally Sima Zhao broke the silence:
"The current situation is like this, so you don't have to worry about anything. My uncle sent me a letter a few days ago, saying that the Xiahou family's flight has a big impact. I'm afraid some of the big families in Shandong have begun to waver."
The Xiahou family fled to the Han Dynasty, which pointed out a way for the big families in Shandong.
In addition to choosing between Taifu Sima and General Cao, they actually have a third way to go.
It's just that the cost of this path is too high. In seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, most of them have not reached the last step, so naturally they don't want to choose it.
So Sima Zhao just said that someone was wavering.
And the uncle he mentioned was naturally Wang Yuanji's father, Wang Su.
Wang Su was Wang Lang's son. After Wang Lang's death, he was hereditary Marquis of Lanling.
When Cao Rui was still there, Wang Su gave many advices to Cao Rui, such as "lighten corvee", "pacify the people", "be careful with punishment", "emphasis on credit", "promote frugality", "simplify the palace", etc.
It is also quite prestigious in the court.
Now in Xuchang, the position has just changed from serving as a servant to being a regular servant.
Sima Zhao suddenly mentioned this, and he didn't know whether he was defending his trip to Chang'an or trying to find a topic.
"My lord, my life in Xuchang is actually not very comfortable."
Wang Yuanji frowned slightly, with a slightly sad look on her face, "With your temperament, you must be disgusted with He Yan and others."
"Sooner or later, there will come a time when I offend a villain. When the time comes, I just hope that I won't be hurt by the villain."
"Don't worry, the three dogs in Taichung are all greedy for profit. They squeeze out the upright people in the court mostly to make it easier for them to make money."
"Unless it is absolutely necessary, I will not put anyone to death. Especially for a person as famous as my uncle, the most he can do is stay in the court."
Having said this, Sima Zhao sighed:
"To be honest, we don't have to stay in places like Xuchang. If it comes to that, we can take my uncle to Yecheng, which can be regarded as taking care of him."
Wang Yuanji lowered her eyes again: "Let's talk about it then."
General Cao is in power and the Three Dogs in Taichung are in chaos. It is certainly difficult to protect the family and the country.
But while the late emperor was still alive, my uncle was still unable to defend Chang'an with the help of the entire Wei Dynasty.
Now it is difficult to defend Luoyang.
Whether Yecheng can be defended in the future is hard to say.
Thinking of this, Wang Yuanji couldn't help feeling confused:
Where will the Wei Dynasty go from here?
——
The sixth year of Yanxi is also the fourth year of Zhengshi of the Puppet Wei Dynasty. It is a new year and a new beginning.
The pseudo-Wei Emperor Cao Fang was twelve years old. In the first month of the year, he was officially given the canon uniform, that is, a crowning ceremony was held.
Wang Su, who had just taken office as Taichang, immediately wrote to the emperor after Cao Fang joined the Yuan Dynasty and proposed to establish a queen.
When Cao Rui was still alive, probably out of the desire to compensate his biological mother, Zhen, he not only ranked all his uncles in order of relative proximity, but also appointed them respectively, and the total reward reached a huge amount of ten thousand taels.
Moreover, Zhen's father Zhen Yi was posthumously named Ancheng Rural Jinghou, and his grandson Zhen Xiang was given the title of inheritor.
Even when Zhen's mother, Cao Rui's grandmother, died of illness, Cao Rui ignored the dissuasion of all his ministers and, as the emperor, violated etiquette and attended the funeral in person, wearing sackcloth and mourning, and was accompanied by all the civil and military officials of the court. .
This is true for people who are still alive, and Cao Rui admired Mrs. Zhen beyond measure.
In addition to constantly sending people to offer sacrifices and raise the tomb, Cao Rui even issued an edict announcing that Wenzhao Temple and the Ancestral Temple enjoyed the same sacrificial rituals, and their status was equal to that of the Ancestral Temple.
This regulation was engraved on a golden tripod and hidden in a golden cabinet to be passed down to future generations.
Cao Rui also arranged for the crown prince Cao Fang's concubine to be a member of the Zhen family - the granddaughter of Zhen Yan, Zhen's brother, and Cao Fang's cousin.
Now that Cao Fang has performed the crowning ceremony, according to the etiquette system, the concubine Zhen should also be promoted to queen.
This is exactly what Wang Su's proposal was intended to do.
This was a smooth process, but when it came to General Cao, something went wrong.
General Cao, who came to the court, originally thought that Wang Taichang's suggestion was quite normal and there was nothing wrong with it, so he pretended to discuss it for a few words.
The matter was settled in this way, and it was decided to let Yusi choose a good day to officially canonize the queen.
Who would have expected that after going to court, He Yan would hurriedly find Cao Shuang:
"Why did the general agree so easily with Wang Ziyong's proposal? This is probably Sima Zhongda's plan!"
When Cao Shuang heard this, he was immediately surprised:
"Why did Uncle Ping say this? It is the right thing for me, the emperor, to do the crowning ceremony and establish a queen. How did it become Sima Zhongda's plan?"
He Yan stamped his feet, with an anxious look on his face, and explained urgently:
"General, Yan Fei is saying that we should not establish a queen, but we should not establish Zhen as a queen!"
Probably because he came here in a hurry, He Yan took a breath and then continued:
"Could it be that the general has forgotten where the Zhen family's original clan is?"
After being reminded by He Yan, General Cao slapped his forehead and shouted:
"Oops! I forgot this section!"
The Zhen family was originally a large family in Hebei, and after Cao Rui's vigorous promotion, all the uncles, nephews and family were granted the title of marquis, and now they are one of the top famous families in Wei.
During the Battle of Guanzhong, Cao Rui made a hasty patrol eastward. Naturally, many members of the Zhen clan, as relatives of the emperor, also followed him to Xuchang.
But don't forget, the Zhen family's sect is in Zhongshan County, Hebei.
Mrs. Zhen was even buried in Yecheng, and many people from the Zhen family guarded her tomb there.
That's all.
However, Cao Shuang's actions over the years have often been arrogant.
Not to mention anything else, just moving the empress dowager to another palace and preventing her from seeing the young emperor was enough to make the general stand on the opposite side of the royal family.
Not to mention, Hebei is now in the hands of Taifu Sima.
If you really want to make Zhen the queen, it will not only strengthen the power to support the emperor, but at the same time, it will be exploited by Sima Taifu.
The more General Cao thought about it, the more he regretted it. He couldn't help stamping his feet bitterly and gritted his teeth and said:
"Old man Wang, your mind is so vicious! How dare you bully me like this?"
He Yan nodded and affirmed:
"What the general said is true! I think Prince Yong and Sima Zhongda are related by marriage. Today's discussion must be closely related to Sima Zhongda."
"These two people, one inside and one outside, are connected to each other and want to put the general at a disadvantage."
General Cao's face turned ugly:
"Prince Yong is a minister and has a good reputation in the court. If there is no fault, I'm afraid I won't be able to touch him."
"And the urgent matter now is to establish the future..."
I thought about it again and again, but I didn't know how to solve this problem.
After all, he personally agreed to the matter of establishing a queen in the court.
You can't go back on your word in public and say you won't do it, right?
Besides, what would it be like if the emperor were not allowed to establish a queen?
The weather in early spring is still a bit chilly, but Cao Shuang is fat and prone to sweating. When he gets anxious at this time, he will immediately sweat on his forehead.
He looked at He Yan with hopeful eyes:
"Uncle Ping, in your opinion, what should we do now?"
He Yan said decisively:
"General, according to Yi Yan, first of all, this Zhen family cannot be established as the queen."
When General Cao heard this, he immediately looked embarrassed and said hesitantly:
"But, Uncle Ping, this Zhen family is the crown prince and concubine appointed by the late emperor. If we don't make her the queen, I'm afraid it will be difficult to stop the world from talking about you."
"When the time comes, I'm afraid the ministers in the DPRK will also say that I don't follow the etiquette and laws..."
He Yan's eyes flickered, gesturing to the left and right with his eyes.
Cao Shuang understood and dismissed everyone, then looked at He Yan:
"Why did Uncle Ping teach me?"
He Yan then approached General Cao and said softly:
"Why worry about the general? In the past, Emperor Wen killed Empress Wen Zhao in order to establish the Guo Concubine; the first emperor abolished the main concubine in order to establish the Mao family, and later he killed the Mao family and established the Yu family."
In fact, there was Emperor Wu, but he was He Yan's adoptive father anyway, and he didn't dare to tell him.
"Such repetitions can be said to be based on etiquette? It can be seen that Cao's treatment of concubines in the harem mostly does not follow etiquette."
As Cao Cao's adopted son, He Yan was deeply loved by Cao Cao and treated him like other princes.
It's a pity that Cao Pi hated him so much that he didn't even want to call him by his name.
So during Cao Pi's time, he didn't even have an official position.
Fortunately, Cao Pi was a short-lived ghost, and it would be over after a while.
Unexpectedly, when his son Cao Rui ascended the throne, he also disliked him, thinking that he was a flashy person, and deliberately suppressed him and only allowed him to hold some redundant official positions.
As a famous scholar of metaphysics in the Wei Dynasty alongside Xia Houxuan, He Yan was originally eager to get rich and follow the trend. How could he not be full of resentment towards Cao Pi and Cao Rui when he was treated like this?
At this time, he used the past events between the two to persuade General Cao. In addition to not wanting to establish Zhen as his queen, he might not have the intention of promoting the evil of the two to vent his anger:
When Emperor Xiangwu was still alive, my dress was similar to that of the prince, and nothing was said about it.
You, father and son, used your personal grudges to suppress me. You never imagined that I would still be here today, right?
He Yan had grown up with Cao Pi since he was a child, and the relationship between the two was not good. Compared with others, he naturally had less respect for Cao Pi and Cao Rui.
"Hmm..."
General Cao did not speak and seemed to be still hesitating, but it could be seen that there was already a look of excitement on his face.
Seeing this, He Yan quickly struck while the iron was hot:
"If the general feels it is inconvenient to directly come forward and regret the matter, there is actually someone who can stand up for the general."
When Cao Shuang heard this, he quickly asked: "Who is it?"
He Yan pointed in a certain direction and said softly: "I am the Queen Mother."
Cao Shuang was shocked:
"The Queen Mother is very prejudiced against me, how can she be willing to issue an edict for me?"
He paused and then asked He Yan tentatively:
"Uncle Ping wants me to act in the name of the Queen Mother?"
In this case, it's okay.
It's just that the ministers in the court are not all fools, and they can naturally see that they are perverting the Queen Mother's edict.
When the time comes, I am afraid that the ministers in the court will accuse themselves of being dictatorial and disrupting the government.
well……
Although the power is now consolidated, all the forces are under control, the soldiers are forbidden, and Xuchang is all under his control.
But there are always some stubborn people in the court. I have no excuses and I don't know what to do to them. It's really a headache.
Unexpectedly, He Yan smiled calmly:
"General, there is no need to worry. I have a plan that will allow the Queen Mother to give the general this edict in person, regardless of her past grudges."
