Faced with Xia Houhui's vaguely accusatory words, Emperor Cao Rui was stunned for a moment.
He had long understood the character of Gang Ershang, so there was no anger in his heart, but there was a well-known answer to this question - it was nothing more than sweeping the princes, cleaning up the troubled mountains and rivers, and bringing peace to the world.
However, if this is the answer, how could Xia Houhui not know it?
Can An use this to ask questions?
There must be a reason for this!
Thinking of this, Cao Rui suddenly became interested.
Being smart, he had already guessed that Xia Houhui was going to give advice, and what he was admonishing was unusual, otherwise he would not have used Emperor Wu as a cover.
"Child Quan, let me tell you, what are Emperor Wu's hopes?"
After waving his hand to signal the other attendants to stay away, Cao Rui asked softly.
After asking, he paused briefly and added another warning, "I have said it before. If I do something immoral, you can do your job to advise me. You can only say what you say. Do not follow the Zongheng family saying. It is not surprising that he will never stop dying, but he will use the name of Emperor Wu indiscriminately."
In the Tian family, people are said to be lonely and few people, and they have always been weak in human nature.
Therefore, even though Xia Houhui was born two generations ago, when I heard Cao Rui's tone of voice was so earnest and sincere, I couldn't help but feel a ray of emotion in my heart.
At that moment, I felt a little guilty.
Because he wanted to prolong Cao Wei's life, or was determined to prevent the Sima family from taking power, in his heart, he never regarded Cao Rui and Cao Wei's state as one.
Instead, he was regarded as a person who could influence the fate of Cao Wei's country.
A person who needs to be regulated in behavior, advised on gains and losses, and avoid going astray and causing the Cao Wei State to fall into the abyss.
That's all.
Yes, in Xia Houhui's heart, Cao Rui is just a passer-by on the throne!
It’s just a tool that allows him to realize what he wants!
Therefore, he does not need to be emotionally devoted, nor does he need to be awe-inspiring and loyal to the death.
He wanted to be a loyal minister of Cao Wei, and the object of his sacrifice to serve the country was also the Cao Wei regime, not Cao Rui, who wore the crown of emperor for a period of time.
But from Cao Rui's current instructions, we can hear his closeness, tolerance and respect for him.
Moreover, I had once taken advantage of the loopholes in his words to forcefully ask for a horse, and wrote "A Fang Gong Fu" on the premise of ridiculing him face to face!
It is truly a special experience that someone who is neither flesh and blood, nor an old friend or confidant can receive such grace!
This gave Xia Houhui the urge to repay his favor.
After all, humans are not grass and trees, so how can we be ruthless?
Of course, he was only moved for a moment.
Soon, he put aside Cao Rui's imperial tactics of inadvertently showing favor to the emperor and answered respectfully.
"only."
"Your Majesty's love and care, Hui will keep it in mind."
"However, Hui's words are not to imitate the politicians. What Hui's words are referring to is the hope that Emperor Wu had for His Majesty, 'I will be based on you for the third time.'"
"With this hope, everyone at the time thought that Emperor Wu wanted His Majesty to inherit the throne for the third life. However, according to Yi Hui, when Emperor Wu made this assertion, he had already built a bronze bird tower, just like 'There is no one in the country, and I don't know how many people will be crowned emperor. "How many people have become kings?" Does this mean that Emperor Wu's hopes for His Majesty are limited to the foundation of the third generation? Hui Tie thought, no! By that time, Emperor Wu had already laid waste to the north, established the Central Plains, and collected almost all the talents in the world, and the foundation had to be handed over. The third generation is inevitable! What we think and worry about is that we are afraid that people will be destroyed and the government will cease. Time has changed and the world has changed, so that the foundation for decades of success is extraordinary!"
At this point, he paused slightly and spoke again in a slightly lowered voice.
"Your Majesty also knows that the residents of Huijiu are not ignorant of the governance of counties and the livelihood of the common people. After a few months of entering the palace and taking up the post, he had such feelings after observing the actions of the officials in the temple and the officials in the capital. ——The foundation of the Wei Dynasty today is very different from the foundation when Emperor Wu was alive!"
Emperor Cao Rui remained silent.
He just stared at Xia Houhui who was bowing his head in front of him with a solemn face and cold eyes.
It's not that he felt that he was criticized mercilessly by Xia Houhui like last time.
Moreover, because Xia Houhui had previously told the story of the gentry and wealthy families colluding with the bureaucrats to embezzle the villages, he knew that this man who was younger than himself had a very mature mind and would pay attention to some ills that only important officials of the country cared about.
That's why he became very serious.
Consider Xia Houhui's words carefully as if he were an important minister of the country advising on national policy.
After a long silence.
The emperor Cao Rui then looked back, gently rubbed the root of his nose with his hand, and asked in a deep voice, "Do you know that it is a crime to slander your highness with false words and to confuse your superiors with sycophants?"
"Return to Your Majesty, Huizhi."
Hearing this, Xia Houhui raised his head slightly and said without thinking, "If your majesty listens to what Hui said, it would be a lie to still take advantage of Hui. Hui is willing to die."
"Um"
A slight nasal sound.
Cao Rui opened his eyes, waved his hand and gave an order to the charioteer, "Turn around and go to the back hall of Chonghua."
They actually held candles to hold discussions without even using the evening meal.
However, it’s normal to think about it.
Cao Rui, who has always pursued his goal in life with his grandfather Cao Cao, has the ability to tolerate direct criticism. When he heard that Xia Houhui would not hesitate to swear with his life, he was naturally worried.
A little while, to.
The emperor Cao Rui asked someone to bring some wine and dried fruits, and then he stepped aside and took a seat in front of Xiahou Hui. He made a gesture of listening attentively, and did not forget to say something close to himself, "Zhiquan is the descendant of the Xiahou family, and is also the leader of our Wei Kingdom." The royal family! You can speak freely if you have anything to say, and there is no need to be taboo about others. The words here will not be spread beyond the four ears! Well, Zhiquan thinks, what is the difference between the foundation of Emperor Wu and the foundation of the current society?"
That's what you said.
But if I really believed it and spoke freely, today would be my death anniversary next year~
"only."
After muttering secretly, Xia Houhui quickly responded respectfully, "Hui, thank you for your favor, Your Majesty."
Immediately, without waiting for Cao Rui's prompting, he directly stated all his thoughts, "Your Majesty, there are three things that Hui is thinking about."
"One is the uneven suffering among the people."
"In the last years of the previous dynasty, powerful people from aristocratic families roamed the prefectures and counties, arbitrarily dividing the countryside, and connecting the fields to the country. However, those with weak strength and little intelligence, such as the common people and poor tenants, had no place to stand. In years of natural disasters, the government continued to recruit people, so some people raised their arms. With a wave of his hand, within one month all the 28 counties in seven states of the country will be wrapped in yellow scarves!"
"Emperor Wu rises up at the right time, leaping on his horse and whipping his whip. After calming down the war, he still takes warning. He has learned from his mistakes in the past and did not hesitate to suppress the rich and powerful people in the past, for fear of repeating the same mistakes! However, now in the state of Wei, the powerful people from the rich and powerful families have risen again, and they are arrogant in the prefectures, counties, and the country. If you dare to usurp the farmland of the people, why wouldn't you dare to do it?"
"Your Majesty, Hui Tie believes that the troubles for aristocratic families are more serious than weapons."
"For example, the Yuan clan of Runan, the fourth generation and the third prince of the previous dynasty. Yuan Benchu, when the Han Dynasty fell out of control, was only more than thirty years old, and he had already failed the world's expectations. Everyone said that 'it is impossible to stabilize the country unless it is the origin. '. But when Dong Zhuo was in chaos and the remnants of the Han Dynasty were in trouble, Shanyang Gong ran east to Luoyang, and Yuan Benchu, who was sitting on the four continents of Hebei Province, did not welcome Shanyang Gong's loyalty! His younger brother Yuan Gongdao had no father. Your Majesty, you actually arrogated the title of Emperor in Shouchun! It can be seen from this that once a family becomes big, it will be obsessed with selfish interests and abandon the loyalty of the family! As the saying goes, 'The big branch will cover the heart, and the big tail will not fall off. There is a country and a family. That’s what it means to be careful!”
Having said this, Xia Houhui stopped talking and glanced towards Emperor Cao Rui.
It was just that the emperor had just asked his attendants to light very few lights, and his expression could not be clearly seen clearly in the candlelight, and he remained silent for a long time.
Therefore, Xiahou Hui hesitated for a moment and then added, "Your Majesty, Hui thought that the aristocratic family was a stubborn disease in the previous dynasty and could not be cured overnight. Moreover, the swords and weapons in the country are not extinguished today, and the stability of the country is the most important thing." The arrogance of a wealthy family can be restrained but not controlled."
"Well, I've already thought about this."
Hearing this, the Emperor Cao Rui raised his head slightly, and the flickering candlelight wandered over his face, making the light and shadow intertwined with a few rays of gloom, "Zhiquan replied with the second sentence."
"only."
Responding loudly, Xiahou Huisurong said, "Both of them are the most talented people in the country."
"Today, our country of Wei adopts a nine-rank official system for recruiting talents. Although it is based on the previous dynasty's system of promoting filial piety and integrity, which is already a very flawed system, it is also biased. If one is determined by one's family background, one will truly be in a poor family. Your Majesty, I have not seen you. In the past, Xiang helped Emperor Wu achieve great success, including the Xun family, Zhong family, Chen family in Yingchuan, the Sima family in Hanoi, and the Cui family in Hebei. However, there are still some wealthy families such as Jia Wenhe, Man Boning, and Xi. Are Zhicai, Guo Fengxiao, Zhang Wenyuan, Yue Wenqian, Xu Gongming and others from poor families evil?"
"When Emperor Wu was alive, he repeatedly issued orders to seek talents, and recommended talents in any way. Only the talented ones were promoted, so he was able to recruit many scholars from all over the world and accomplish great things. Now, since our country of Wei received the Mandate of Heaven from the Zen and Han Dynasties, there are still many people like Shu and Wu. The ministers repeatedly raised troops and invaded the territory; the Gongsun family was arrogant in Liaodong, and acted against the yin and yang; in the northern Xianbei, Wuwan and various tribes refused to obey the king's rule, and there was no lack of robbery and killing of the people. Talents should not be limited to family status. We should issue edicts to seek talents, attract handsome people from all over the world, and collect talents from the world, so that there will be no shortage of talents in the country."
"Furthermore, based on family background, those who come from a humble background will have no chance of success. If things go on like this, those who have talents but are not recognized will be resentful. Those who slander and criticize the imperial court will not be harmed, but Hui is afraid that they will look forward to our country, Wei State, and run away. Lift your ears when Shu invades Wu!"
"Furthermore, there are family distinctions among talents, which will definitely lead to aristocratic families becoming powerful. If a person from a humble background seeks to advance to the next level, the government will not record him because of his family background, and he will turn to rely on the aristocratic family. In this way, they will feel the favor of the aristocratic family's recommendation. If you don't care about the imperial conferment, you will definitely commit your life to a noble family instead of being loyal to the country."
After saying this, Xia Houhui suddenly stood up, left the table and bowed, his voice was sharp and admonishing.
"Your Majesty, Hui Tie thinks that the nine-rank official system may be beneficial for a while, but for the country, it is extremely poisonous! Because the rank is determined by family background, it is like the system of ministers in the Spring and Autumn Period. If it is not curbed, in the future, the officials in the temple may be Positions are not won by public recommendation based on virtue and talent, but by family background."
"Hui's family, the Xiahou family, is not a family of nobles. They were prominent in the world because they started a business with Emperor Wu. However, if the current court determines talents based on family background, Hui will not be able to live in a house of two thousand stones without having a king in his life. Your Majesty! Your Majesty just now said that the Xiahou family is no different from the clan. But you are a clan, but you are still ranked low among the talented people in the country. Is this system a blessing for the country? Hui is young and has few talents and little knowledge. I hope your majesty will examine it for yourself."