As dawn just broke, Xia Houhui, dressed in court uniform, entered the palace from Yiyang Gate and arrived outside Sima Gate, waiting for the notification and release from the soldiers on duty.
Court uniforms were given along with the imperial edict.
However, the official seal and ribbon and the identity certificate for entering the palace can only be obtained after he enters the palace and registers with the Central Military Commission.
This is also to avoid misunderstandings.
Because Simamen isolates (forbidden) the inside and outside, it is equivalent to the inner city of the palace, and anyone who enters or exits without authorization will be punished as treason.
During the previous Wei war, Cao Zhi opened the Sima Gate (Yecheng Wei palace) without authorization because of being drunk, which completely disappointed Wei Wu and Cao Cao. Only then in the same year did Wei Wen Cao Pi become the heir apparent.
However, I don't know whether he arrived early or was delayed when the soldiers on duty were reporting to the military headquarters. Xia Houhui had been waiting outside the gate for more than an hour, but he was not led in by the soldiers.
During this period, there were many assistants from Sangong's Mansion and Shangshutai, and people from various states and counties came and went.
As everyone passed by, they couldn't help but glance at Xia Houhui curiously, and doubts bloomed in their eyes.
The ministers who were working in the palace felt that this man in the uniform of a Disciple and Huangmen Minister was so unfamiliar that they could not recognize which powerful family he came from.
Those who wrote to Yi Que from the prefectures and counties were curious as to why the emperor's servants were blocked outside the Sima Gate.
Could it be that someone is disobeying the emperor?
Or maybe he behaved contrary to law and was reprimanded?
Everyone's speculations turned into the corners of their eyes, falling on Xia Houhui from time to time.
But Xia Houhui's face remained unchanged, his eyes were drooped, and he stood as tall as a pine or cypress.
In fact, he was also very strange.
After returning to the Luoyang mansion yesterday, his eldest brother Xia Houheng also specifically told him about the matter of taking orders from Knocking Que today, and claimed that the emperor would listen to the court today. According to common sense, today's central leaders also have a lot of leisure time, but why is the palace banning armor?
Shidu has been passing the news for a long time, but he still refuses to let the guards lead him in? [Note 1]
Could it be that the princes in the temple were arguing over important matters and the leader of the army was summoned?
However, except for the second month of February, when Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, reported to the army that Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu, sent Chen Shi to seize the military capital, and the two counties of Yin and Ping stopped their troops, there seemed to be no major events, right?
Furthermore, if there is any important military and state affairs happening in the temple, my eldest brother Xia Houheng, who has been in Luoyang, will also know about it and also informed me in advance last night, so that he does not have to waste time today.
How strange!
Xia Houhui thought about it for a hundred times and couldn't figure it out.
At this moment, there was a faint noise in the distance, and it seemed that a high-ranking official or a high-ranking minister was coming to Simamen.
Xia Houhui didn't want to pay attention to it. Anyway, the place where he stopped and waited was not in the way.
And now he doesn't recognize the appearances of the ministers.
But the undulating noise came from far away and came behind him for some unknown reason, which made him suspicious.
When I turned around and looked back, I couldn't help but feel dumbfounded.
It turned out that the visitor was not a minister, but Xia Houxuan, who had been demoted to the post of Yulin Supervisor.
There are left and right prisoners under General Yu Lin Zhonglang, and Xiahou Xuan is one of them.
As for why he came to act as official at the end of the day~~
He was moved to the left because he offended the emperor Cao Rui. Supervisor Yu Lin only held a temporary position with no real power at all. He also had nothing to do all day long. He only needed to show his face in the palace office occasionally and then he could leave.
"Hey, I didn't expect my clan uncle to return to the capital!"
Xiahou Xuanzhen smiled and bowed his hands in salute, "My uncle secretly returned to Sangzi without saying goodbye for three years. Now I don't know when I'm back. From this we know that my uncle didn't kiss me!"
Although there is a generational difference between the two, they are close in age and both are quite young, so there is no need to restrain their words.
"I miss you Lao Taichu."
Hearing this, Xia Houhui nodded and smiled, and said a little apologetically, "I just returned home yesterday, and today I came to knock on the door. It's true that I have no time to do it. It's not because I don't miss my relatives. However, the eldest brother in the family said last night that there will be a plan in the near future.
If you have some free time at that time, I hope you can come to the family dinner."
Hosting a family dinner?
Instead of inviting talented people from all over the capital to have fun and talk about Taoism?
Raising his eyebrows slightly, Xia Houxuan nodded and said loudly, "If I have time, I will go and make trouble. Uncle clan, the palace is not a place for small talk, so I will go on my own first."
"Okay, Taichu, take care of yourself."
Looking at Xia Houxuan's slowly leaving figure like stars holding the moon, Xia Houhui put away his smile and continued to lower his eyes to rest.
He knew that Xia Houxuan would never invite him to socialize with him in the future; just as Xia Houxuan also knew that the family dinner he had just claimed would be held soon was an excuse to reiterate that he still preferred to be quiet and self-sufficient.
The two have different personalities, so they have a tacit understanding to keep their distance.
It can be said that a gentleman is harmonious but different.
The hustle and bustle outside Sima Gate returned to calm as Xia Houxuan entered the South Palace, and the eyes of everyone passing by would still fall on Xia Houhui.
Compared to the previous curiosity, the difference was that there was a little more confusion in their eyes.
Perhaps, he felt that Xia Houhui, who was also weak, could be so indifferent to Xia Houxuan, who was famous in the capital.
It was another long wait.
About two-quarters of an hour later, a man dressed as a small official came in a hurry. After looking around outside the palace, he came to Xia Houhui and saluted, "I am in charge of the army secretary in Xia Naizhong. May I ask who is Xia Houzhi?"
Right?"
"it's me."
"Please step down and follow me into the palace."
He must have been recruited by the emperor, as the central leader was not in the official office.
The little official led Xiahou Hui to him, took him the seal and ribbon, and asked him to record his registration. Then he led him to the house on the first floor and left, "This is where all the casual riders are waiting for their orders. You can come in by yourself. I have other things to do below.
"Can't stay", he bowed and left in a hurry.
The building here is very small.
There are only a dozen pillars to support it, and there are no redundant screens to block it. It can be clearly seen from the outside, and it is divided into upper and lower floors. It should be divided into different levels based on the dignity of casual knights and servants.
It's also very deserted.
There were no soldiers outside the building, and there was no one inside. There were only four cases on the first floor that seemed to be missing.
On the side of each desk are inscriptions, blank bamboo slips and a few pieces of silk. The difference is that the top two still have some slips and personal belongings on them, which obviously belong to someone else.
Xia Houhui walked in slowly, looked around briefly, and then chose the last seat on the left side to take a seat.
As a newbie here, it’s better to be humble.
There is no need to arouse the dissatisfaction of colleagues on some small details.
However, sometimes things don't go as planned.
Just when he felt bored and simply closed his eyes to review the situation between the DPRK and China that his elder brother had described last night, a rather restrained voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Well, this is my seat."
Huh?
Is there someone grabbing the last seat?
Hearing this, Xia Houhui opened his eyes and followed the sound.
I saw a man less than seven feet long, about the age of a weak crown, leaning forward, with his head slightly bent, shoulders slightly shrugged, looking at him with an embarrassed face. He was obviously wearing crimson clothes and a military crown on his head.
A noble minister, but his whole body is filled with the humility and restraint of living under others for a long time.
This son should be Mao Zeng, right?
Thinking secretly in his heart, Xia Houhui quickly stood up and gave up his seat. He bowed his hands with a smile and apologized, "I'm sorry, I was disrespectful just after entering the palace. I hope you won't be guilty. Well, I am Xia Houhui. My courtesy name is Zhiquan. I don't know what to do with my actions." call?"
"me."
The person who was asked became more and more constrained, and his face turned red and he couldn't say a complete sentence. When he was young, he seemed to have remembered something, and returned the gift clumsily, and finally managed to say, "I am Mao Zeng. "
Uh~
really!
After hearing the answer, Xia Houhui immediately understood why he had waited outside Sima Gate for a long time and left in a hurry with the clerk.
It’s nothing more than the Emperor Cao Rui testing his ears!——
[Note 1: Since Emperor Xuan of the Western Han Dynasty took charge of the government (68 BC), the court was held every five days, and later became a custom system. The Wei system was inherited from the Han Dynasty and has not been modified. 】