Chapter 180: Cao Zhaobo was Promoted to General, Wei Ming Emperor Abandoned His Country
After Cao Shuang thought carefully for a moment, he finally chose to follow the bold idea in his heart. He knelt down in front of the imperial couch and replied loudly to Cao Rui:
"I am willing to sacrifice my life to serve the country and protect the country with my blood. I promise your majesty that as long as I am here, the Cao family's country will be impregnable!"
Maybe the emperor had lost his mind at this moment, maybe it was Cao Shuang's firm words that gave Cao Rui confidence in him. At this moment, Cao Rui actually verbally agreed to the suggestions of Liu Fang and Sun Zi:
"Okay... With Uncle Zhao's words, I feel relieved... Please step aside first. I will take a short rest and then revise the edict..."
"No!" Liu Fang, Sun Zi, and Cao Shuang responded and exited the hall.
After a while, Cao Rui, who was a little more awake, tried his best to collect his mind again, intending to reconsider the matter of entrusting an orphan to assist the government.
Can Uncle Zhao really suppress Sima Yi by himself?
No! Absolutely not!
The emperor, who thought hard for a while, shook his head. He knew the young Cao Shuang well, and he understood that although Cao Shuang had always been cautious and steady, Cao Rui knew that he was an extremely proud person at heart. Moreover, Cao Shuang's talents were... Although he is above the average, he is still inferior to his father, the late Sima Cao Zhen. What's more, Sima Yi's methods are based on superior strategies, and he is even better than Cao Zidan.
Can a young man who has endured for many years, is proud and has a high self-esteem, and has no political experience, really be able to fight against a veteran of three dynasties who has endured for many years and is a famous general and minister in the current dynasty?
The answer is naturally no.
At this moment, the emperor suddenly remembered the Shouchun peasant woman who he had treated favorably before, who was said to be a fairy who came to the world and could turn into healing talisman water. The emperor thought to himself that he was already seriously ill at the moment, so he might as well try to treat a dead horse as a live doctor. The peasant woman’s divine water was not a bad idea. Half an hour later, the peasant woman was ordered to come to Jiafu Hall.
Cao Rui saw that the peasant woman had arrived, so he said:
"You...have always...cough cough cough, you claim that you can turn into divine talismans and divine water to save lives and heal the wounded. It has been tried and true. Now that I am seriously ill, you can turn me into a cup of divine water. If it works, Heavy...there will be rewards..."
When the peasant woman heard this, she felt extremely uneasy. She was previously a female disciple of a witch doctor in Shouchun. She was first recruited by the Marquis of Dongwu City, who was the Prime Minister of Lu, and Sima Kui, the fourth brother of the Taiwei. Sima Jin, and the recommendation of Han Yong, the chief chamberlain, came to serve in the palace. In fact, she was more proficient in poisoning. As for curing diseases and saving people, she was pretty good at treating general diseases, but when she encountered someone like Cao Rui, she was very good. There was nothing she could do about it, but at this moment the emperor thought of her. It seemed that she had no choice but to give it a try.
After listening to the emperor's words, the peasant woman had no choice but to nod in agreement. After a while, the chamberlain carefully inspected the "sacred water" prepared by the peasant woman and gave it to Cao Rui.
When Cao Rui drank it, he immediately noticed that the water seemed to be no different from ordinary water, and he was already suspicious. After an hour passed, he found that not only did he show no signs of improvement, but his uncomfortable feeling worsened. , his heart suddenly burst into anger. Originally, Sima Yi massacred Liaodong without authorization, and he was holding back his anger. When this happened, Cao Rui could no longer control his emotions:
"Come here, drag this swindling temptress and Han Yong, the eunuch who recommended the temptress, to the East Market and behead them in public!"
Waiting on the side, the newly named Queen Guo heard the emperor's words, and for fear of violating the holy will, she immediately passed the order to the chamberlain outside the palace. Not long after, Han Yong and Han Yong, who had not had time to react, complained repeatedly. The witch was dragged to the East Market execution ground by four imperial soldiers.
Seeing that Han Yong, the eunuch who had been collaborating with them, was beheaded, Liu Fang and Sun Zi were frightened and made a decisive decision. They immediately contacted Cao Shuang, Sima Yi's younger brother Zhonglang Cheng Yangting Hou Sima Jin, as well as Sima Tong and Sima Min. A few people quietly replaced all the emperor's cronies outside the main hall.
Not long after, Queen Guo saw that the emperor had fallen into a deep sleep, so she left the hall and planned to return to the palace to change clothes.
Liu Fang, the Zhongshu Superintendent, who was still not at ease about his and Sun Zi's plan, entered the Jiafu Hall again when he saw that there was no one in the hall. At this moment, Liu Fang already had a bold idea in his mind.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, the matter of the Assistant Minister is of great importance and cannot be delayed. Can Your Majesty revise the edict now?"
Cao Rui was a little sober now. He thought in his heart that the edict must not be changed at will. However, he was exhausted and confused and couldn't find a suitable reason to reject Liu Fang, who held the power. So he Liu Fang could only deal with it with difficulty:
"I... am extremely tired, and I can't prepare an edict now..."
Liu Fang was shocked when he heard this.
He understood that the matter had reached this point and there was no way out. Liu Fang plucked up the courage and walked to the imperial couch. He took Cao Rui's hand, took out the pen and ink and edict that he had prepared long ago, and said resolutely:
"In this case, let Wei Chen help your majesty draft the edict!"
Cao Rui was shocked when he heard this. He was so angry that he wanted to yell at Liu Fang and shake off his hand, but he was extremely ill, weak and breathless, and could only be at his mercy.
At this moment, Liu Fang, Sun Zi, and Cao Shuang, who had been temporarily roped into a warship, had already joined forces with Sima Yi's younger brother Zhonglang Chengyangtinghou Sima Jin, Sima Tong, and Sima Min to replace the emperor in the main hall. Even if Cao Rui shouts out to the confidants inside and outside, it will be of no use at this moment, not to mention that the emperor at this moment has no strength to shout.
Out of anger and shock, Cao Rui's condition worsened. At this time, he couldn't even speak, but just shed tears.
―――
Outside Jiafu Palace, Cao Zhaozheng was carrying the secret letter and planned to enter the palace to explain everything to Cao Rui. He understood that as long as he handed over this letter to His Majesty that the Sima family and Donghai King Cao Lin conspired to assassinate the emperor's heir, Sima Yi would Nothing can be done to change the situation at this moment.
Just when Cao Zhao came to the corridor outside Jiafu Hall, he saw Cao Shuang, who was fully armed and had a stern look on his face.
"Uncle Zhao? You are here too. Come with me to see your majesty. I have found out the case that your majesty entrusted to me and me. Now I need to report it to your majesty immediately!"
Cao Shuang was not as ecstatic as Cao Zhao imagined. On the contrary, Cao Shuang acted a little calm at the moment. He said loudly with a cold face:
"According to His Majesty's decree, King Yan Cao Yu, leading general Xia Houxian, Tun Cavalry School Lieutenant Cao Zhao, heroic cavalry general Qin Lang and others are no longer allowed to enter the Jiafu Hall without permission!"
"Uncle Zhao, what did you say?!"
At this moment, Cao Zhao felt as if he had heard a thunderbolt from the blue. He was unable to recover. His face was full of shock and he did not understand what happened.
―――
Inside Jiafu Hall.
Liu Fang pretended to be brave, grabbed the emperor's hand, and reluctantly wrote a new edict. Then he took it out of the palace and read aloud: "According to your majesty's edict, Cao Zhao took charge of the imperial army. He didn't want to repay the emperor's favor. Instead, he took the imperial edict while his majesty was seriously ill."
, had fornication with the palace people, and Yan Wang Yu, Xia Hou Xian, Qin Lang and others knew about it but did not report it, and they were also guilty. Now Yan Wang Cao Yu, Xia Hou Xian, Cao Zhao, Qin Lang and others are removed from their official positions, and the four of them are not allowed to stay in the palace any longer.
, come here, capture the guilty minister Cao Zhao!"
"Uncle Zhao! What's going on? Answer me quickly!" Cao Zhao's face was full of shock and anger at this moment. Before he could figure out what was going on, he was immediately escorted by two soldiers from the military guard camp.
At the same time, Xia Houxian and Qin Lang, who were in their respective mansions, were also captured by the soldiers of the Wuwei Army who suddenly appeared, and were imprisoned in the sky prison on charges fabricated by Liu Fang and others.
The Yan King Cao Yu, who was also confused, was ordered to return to the feudal country immediately and was not allowed to enter the capital again from now on.
Outside the palace, the swan geese returning from the south chirped loudly, and together with the howling north wind, it was like a whimpering sigh and cry.
Seeing that the overall situation had been decided, Cao Shuang immediately went to the Jiafu Hall to wait for the emperor in case he changed.
In the Jiafu Hall, the dying Emperor Cao Rui was bursting with tears and filled with regret.
At this point, there is nothing he can do against Liu Fang and Sun Zi.
If I want to punish the two of them, I'm afraid that even my will will not be able to get out of Jiafu Hall. For this plan, I have become a snake without fog and a dragon without claws.
Fortunately, there is still Uncle Zhao...
While Cao Rui was comforting himself in this way, he remembered something. He turned around and called Cao Shuang beside him: "Uncle Zhao..."
"Your Majesty, I am here."
When Cao Shuang heard Cao Rui's call, he immediately leaned over and came to the imperial couch.
Cao Rui turned his head and looked at the attendant standing beside him. He had just issued an urgent order to the soldier, Cao Shangshu Sun Li, to enter the palace.
This Sun Li was originally from Zhuo County. Not only had he served as a local governor for many years, his political achievements were outstanding, but he was also quite brave. When he was hunting in Dashi Mountain, a tiger suddenly rushed towards the emperor's chariot. Sun Li threw his whip and dismounted, planning to
Kill the tiger with a sword.
When Cao Rui was dying, he felt more and more that Cao Shuang alone could not suppress Sima Yi, so he suddenly remembered Sun Li, a person he had not had time to reuse, and wanted him to be by Cao Shuang's side to help Cao Shuang.
"Uncle Zhao, you are now...as a general...you should have a good assistant...Sun Li is a man of both civil and military skills. I now appoint him as the general and commander-in-chief to assist you..."
"Thank you for your kindness!" Although Cao Shuang bowed his head and thanked him, he did not feel that Sun Li, who was a bit reckless and had some differences with him, had any qualifications to assist him.
Your Majesty may be ill and confused.
Just as Cao Shuang was thinking this, Cao Rui ordered Sun Li to leave the hall, called Cao Shuang to his side, braced himself, and whispered to Cao Shuang in a low voice:
"Uncle Zhao, in the future... you must remember not to neglect people like Zhong Gong, Zhuge Dan, Xia Houxuan, Li Feng, Xu Yun..., Chang Si, Xia Houxian, Qin Lang
,Although it is no longer possible to continue to assist the government,...,whenever you have the opportunity, you must let them help you one or two...,Besides, Liu Fang and Sun Zi, they trust me in vain
I have kept them for so many years, cough cough cough... Uncle Zhao must guard against them in the future, and must not let them get involved in government affairs if necessary..."
When Cao Shuang heard what he said, he only listened to half of it. Guanqiu Jian, Zhuge Dan, Xia Houxuan, Li Feng and others all had some friendship with him, and they were all talented people. Liu Fang and Sun Zi were very scheming. , they only had a temporary alliance with him, and it was natural that he would deal with them in the future. As for Cao Zhao and Xia Houxian, the former auxiliary ministers who might affect his status, he did not want to reuse them again. Although he thought so in his heart, He still knelt down on the ground respectfully and promised the emperor:
"I have taken note of it, and please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely live up to Your Majesty's entrustment!"
―――
Taiwei Sima Yi rode an assault vehicle, traveled thousands of miles day and night, and finally arrived in Hanoi County on Dinghai Day in the first month of spring.
At this moment, he was finally only a stone's throw away from Luoyang.
After Sima Yi let out a long breath, he did not stop to rest, but chose to continue hurriedly southward, riding wildly towards Luoyang Palace City.
That night, Sima Yi, who had driven all the way, finally arrived at the imperial capital.
He didn't even bother to wipe his sweat, and without even taking off his armor, he immediately rushed towards the Jiafu Hall. Finally, he saw the dying Cao Rui.
"Lieutenant, you are finally... here..."
"I am here, Your Majesty."
Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi, who was dusty but still energetic, and Cao Shuang, who was standing aside and looked aloof. He pointed tremblingly at his eight-year-old prince, Crown Prince Cao Fang, and said softly:
"Grand Lieutenant...I am about to leave. I will entrust my funeral affairs...to you. From now on, I will be with you and Shuang...to assist this young son...and this country will be entrusted to you..."
Sima Yi didn't say another word, he just paused and shed tears.
The first month of spring in the third year of Jingchu.
Emperor Cao Rui died in Jiafu Hall at the age of thirty-five. He was given the posthumous title of "Emperor Ming". On Guichou day, under the auspices of King Cao Fang of Qi, Cao Rui's coffin was buried in Gaoping Mausoleum.
The emperor's last edict was to appoint General Shaoling Hou Cao Shuang, the general of the military guard, as the general, the first assistant minister, and the governor of all domestic and foreign military affairs.
[Note 1: Lu Shangshu Shi is the highest authority title in the Taige, which is equivalent to the power of the prime minister and the power to take charge of government affairs. 】
The eight-year-old King Cao Fang of Qi, after presiding over his father's funeral, immediately accepted congratulations from hundreds of officials in the Taiji Hall and succeeded to the throne as the new king.
―――
In the heavenly prison, Cao Zhao and Cao Changsi, who had been stripped of their official title, heard the news of the emperor's death. They knelt down in the direction of the imperial city and burst into tears.
A few years later, the talented son of the military god Cao Xiu died in prison in a depressed state.
Qin Lang, who was also dismissed from his post, died of depression soon after; the leading general Xia Houxian, who was dismissed from his post, went to Yongliang and joined the command of his father Xiahou Ba after he was released from prison.
————
At this moment, the governor of Youzhou, Anyi Hou Guanqiujian, heard the news of the death of his close friend, the emperor Cao Rui. After crying bitterly, he faced south and knelt down, swearing in his heart:
"Your Majesty, don't worry. As long as I am here, I will definitely make the Wei Dynasty impregnable!"
―――
Inside and outside Luoyang City, the cold wind is biting.
The whimpering sound of the wind was like roars and cries.
As the army slowly moved south, Xia Houxuan and Cao Xi, who had recovered from their injuries, did not know how they felt at this moment.
Xia Houxuan looked at the green Mang Mountain south of the river and the prosperous and splendid imperial capital Luoyang, and couldn't help but think to himself:
This prosperous country in the Wei Dynasty will be in turmoil at the next moment.
The sun was setting in the west, and the imperial palace at this moment seemed to be turned into a deep red color by the blood-like setting sun.