Even the hooked crescent moon felt tired and retreated deeply into the clouds.
The stars in the sky twinkling and blinking, leaving nothing but human fireworks, curiously listening to the words of the sleepless man.
Emperor Cao Rui, who had been thinking for a long time with his eyes closed, finally opened his eyes, and his voice became more ethereal in Nuo Da's palace.
"The move to the left by Du Wubo was a decision made by the central officials, and it has not been long ago. If I don't find a reason, I can't make an arbitrary decision, so as not to upset the hearts of all the officials. However, the Luoyang Imperial Temple has been under construction for more than two years. It will be completed in the near future. At that time, in the name of welcoming the return of the God Lord from Yecheng and releasing the living beings, I will issue an edict to seek help from all the sages, and Zhiquan will be able to recommend him."
Alas, indeed!
It is said that accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger, it is true!
As soon as Cao Rui finished speaking, Xia Houhui couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Yes, at this moment he felt the emperor's meanness and unkindness.
Because he wanted to recall Du Shu to serve in the court again, Emperor Cao Rui had many ways, and he had better candidates to recommend.
Such as Gao Tanglong or Wei Zhen.
Gaotanglong, a native of Taishan, was the king's tutor when Cao Rui was still the king of Pingyuan.
Recently, he filled the vacancy of Cao Shuang's retired Sanqi Changshi, and was given the title of Marquis of Guannei.
With his upright temperament and status as a great scholar, if he could publicly say that Du Shu, whose father had great achievements, should not be abandoned in the mountains, the emperor would be able to recall Du Shu back from Jianruliu.
And the princes of other temples will not stop it.
After all, they also hope that after their own death in the future, their sons and nephews will also receive this kind of emperor's gesture of remembering old friendship.
Not to mention Pu She (right) of Shangshu, and Wei Zhen among the attendants.
His father was Wei Zi who initially supported Wei Wu and Cao Cao in launching an army to attack Dong. He was one of the earliest meritorious deeds of the Wei State, and Cao Rui had a close personal relationship with him before he ascended the throne. If he were to recommend him, all the princes in the court would be I won't refute feelings.
No matter what happened, Cao Rui casually let You Xi try to figure out his intentions, and he couldn't have just praised Du Shu into the court with impassioned praise?!
That requires reputation. Xia Houhui, who is young and has no merit and no right to speak, will recommend it~
If he recommends it, the chances of success are slim!
However, this is what Cao Rui warned.
It's not that he was negligent for a moment, nor that he didn't know the twists and turns, but it was the deliberate intention of the emperor -
In order to turn Xia Houhui into a lonely minister!
The patriarchs of the clan were originally supporters of the monarchy, and they were in opposition to the gentry. They were the monarch's bargaining chip to check and balance the power of the temple.
As long as Xiahou Hui, who was born in the Xiahou clan, dares to recommend Du Shu who criticizes the minister for his inaction, he will be in trouble and will be hated by the nobles in the future.
The most important thing is that this move will also isolate the clan and the Xia princes.
Du Shu turned over Cao Fan's old score.
Although Cao Fan misbehaved and broke the law, he deserved to be scolded when he was scolded.
However, why did you, Du Shu, add the prefix "the general's crazy brother" when you scolded Cao Fan?
Isn’t this an intentional statement, a subtle claim that General Cao Zhen condoned his family’s lawlessness?
Not to mention that for Cao Zhen, this kind of accusation is an attempt to inflict a crime. Just because Cao Zhen, the governor of the clan town, is the only one left with great achievements, he should not be disturbed by such a catch-up thing.
Naturally, Du Shu's inappropriate words would be considered by the clan leaders as curbing the clan's authority and speaking out for the nobles, and they would be resented.
However, Xia Houhui's behavior of recommending Du Shu was viewed by the clan leaders.
Eat it properly, inside and out!
traitor!
So, among the clan leaders, who is still willing to associate with Xia Houhui?
Therefore, Xia Houhui's situation in the temple would be unique in the future, and he would become an isolated minister who joined hands with the nobles and clan leaders!
It can also put Emperor Cao Rui's mind at ease.
Because he was shocked by Xia Houhui's talent tonight, and he instinctively felt fearful.
Emperor~
He likes capable ministers, but he dislikes ministers whose abilities are far superior to his own.
Especially since this minister is still very young.
Therefore, Cao Rui felt that in order for the monarch and his ministers to be able to get along honestly with each other in the future, and to maintain the reputation of being a wise and wise minister, he should make preparations in advance and turn Xia Houhui into a lonely minister first.
Therefore, Xia Houhui felt sad for a moment.
Although he had known for a long time that most people who were lonely, Taoist and few had a cold nature, he never thought that Cao Rui would be so eager to reveal his intentions.
After all, he is still advising Cao Wei Sheji with full sincerity!
Alas, maybe it’s because I don’t have the awareness that “thunder, rain, and dew are all gifts from God.”
"only."
Xia Houhui, whose heart was agitated but whose face was calm, responded with a respectful voice without any strangeness, "Hui will prepare his appearance in the near future."
And Cao Rui, who had been paying attention to his expression, was relieved to see this, and he happily asked about his daily life, "I heard that the servants in the palace were gossiping in private, and it seemed that there was something intentional in Zhiquan's family. Are you looking for a marriage?"
Why do you ask this~
Could it be that there are still daughters of marriageable age in the clan?
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case."
Xia Houhui nodded lightly and said with a hint of embarrassment, "Hui Shaogu, the eldest brother in the family takes pity on him, so he often runs for Hui. However, Hui is just a weakling this year, has no merit, and has not yet been married. Thoughts."
"Is it because I'm still young?"
Unexpectedly, Emperor Cao Rui showed a joking expression instead, "Zhi Quan, what can you say without sincerity! I have already heard the words of General Zhenwei Wu Jizhong who rejected your brother's words!"
Uh~
My eldest brother didn’t make any announcement about this matter. How did you know about it?
For a moment, Xiahou Huiton felt a chill running down his spine.
He suddenly remembered that as early as the 18th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao had established a school affairs committee as a supplement to the traditional supervisory agency and as the eyes and ears of the monarch, responsible for spying on the words and deeds of his subjects. [Note 1]
This school has great authority and is very good at framing charges.
For example, Lu Hong, who was a school official at that time, and Zhao Da still had the evil reputation of "not afraid of Duke Cao, but afraid of Lu Hong; Lu Hong is acceptable, Zhao Da will kill me". Although Lu Hong was later impeached by the ministers He was thrown out and executed by Cao Cao, but the position of school official was not abolished and has continued to this day. His power has also penetrated into the darkness and become the emperor's pawn to consolidate power.
It seems that I have to be more careful in my words and deeds in the future.
Otherwise, if he accidentally said the wrong thing or made a disrespectful expression, Cao Rui would be able to seize the opportunity to accuse him. Thank you~
Just when Xia Houhui was secretly awe-inspiring, Emperor Cao Rui saw that he had been silent for a long time. He thought he was being watched and felt chilled, so he softly comforted him, "Zhiquan, don't be too worried. Wu Ji's words that insulted Zhiquan are... It was he who preached it when he was talking with others in Hebei, and it was reported to me by an official. And when I ask you about it now, I don't mean to make fun of Zhiquan, but to complain about Zhiquan!"
Grievance?
Are you going to vent your anger on me?
Suddenly, Xia Houhui was surprised and hurriedly asked for instructions, "Your Majesty, please forgive Hui for being stupid, and I can't understand your Majesty's meaning."
"Hey! What's wrong with Zhiquan?"
Cao Rui gently raised his palms and smiled grimly, "That Wu Jizhong was called a friend of the late emperor. He was somewhat talented, but his conduct was bad. He often acted domineeringly and took advantage of his power. The late emperor did not like him either. I think there is a gap outside now." Kou, there are poor people in the country, so I asked the princes in the temple, hoping to use their talents instead of being vulgar. Unexpectedly, the matter has not yet been finalized, and he has a willful heart, and actually writes a book to insult the young and powerful talents. Family! How can such a despicable person enter the temple to serve the emperor? I ask this matter because I want to know and tell Zhiquan that Wu Jizhong will eventually grow old in Hebei."
It turned out to be a show of gratitude~
First they forced me to be a lonely minister, and then they gave me small favors to win people's hearts, tsk tsk!
This imperial power can be said to be extremely proficient.
However, whether or not to summon Wu Zhi back to the capital Luoyang has no impact on me!
Are you trying to fool someone with this small favor?
I'm not a beggar!
After Xia Houhui suddenly realized this, he felt angry in his heart.
"Your Majesty's favor is greatly appreciated."
He also quickly thanked him with a grateful face, and then made a generous look on his face, "However, Hui dared to advise that it is not appropriate for your majesty to vent your anger on General Zhenwei. Because the grudge between him and Hui is private, your majesty summoned him back to the capital is a public matter! Your majesty If you use private favors to dethrone the public, I am afraid that everyone in the government and the public will say that Hui is a sycophant!"
Uh, okay.
I'll find another reason to show my kindness someday.
After hearing this, Cao Rui felt a little dissatisfied, but he also nodded slightly and said words of praise, "Good! If you don't abolish public service with personal grudges, you are really a straight minister!"
Xia Houhui didn't want the emperor to dwell too much on this matter, so he quickly changed the subject.
He said: "Your Majesty, Hui Tie thought that Du Wubo could postpone his recall to the court, but there is no need to hesitate to straighten out the atmosphere in the court! After Hui returned to Luoyang, he once heard among the people that if you want a tooth, you should get a thousand horses; five hundred people are in charge. The rumor of "getting five hundred horses" satirizes the fact that the guards of the country accepted bribes on a large scale. Bribery is still common in the capital of a country, not to mention the state and county! , if you don’t practice virtue, let alone others! If you don’t rectify it, you may lose your heart!”
After hearing this, Emperor Cao Rui was immediately stunned.
Immediately, he became furious.
Shuzi is so brave!
You are only ordered to be a lonely minister, but you actually seek the position of Protector of the Army?!——
[Note 1: School affairs, the name of the official who was appointed by Wu during the Three Kingdoms period to spy on the affairs of the officials and the people. "Wei Lue": "The captain of the Fu army, with a rank of two thousand stones, is an official in this school." Yu Zhengxie's "Guisi" manuscript "School Affairs": "There were school officials in Wei and Wu, who were similar to the marquis officials in the Northern Wei Dynasty and the factory guards in the Ming Dynasty... They were also called Dianxiao, or school cao, or school master, or school officials."]