Chapter 766 Sima Shi
Cao Rui may not care about other hypocrisy, clever tongue, and so on.
After all, as the emperor, he knew that he could shout slogans, but if he really wanted to govern the world, all kinds of talents would be useful, and that would be called governing the country.
Not to mention that Liu Bang valued talent rather than virtue at that time, even Emperor Wu had an order to seek talents?
Does it mean that a talented person must be virtuous?
But the sentence "stealing the power of the emperor's eight handles" deeply stimulated Cao Rui.
With eight handles, one is called Jue to control his nobility, the second is called Lu to control his wealth, the third is called to control his luck, and the fourth is called Place to control his travels.
The fifth one is called birth to control its blessings, the sixth is said to seize it to control its poverty, the seventh said to abolish it is to control its sins, and the eighth said to punish it is to control its faults.
Those "young" party members, they not only praised and criticized others, but even the emperor himself was criticized by them more than once.
They are not "stealing the power of the emperor", they are "stealing the power of the emperor" and want to be superior to the emperor!
In addition to this sentence, the next sentence also made Cao Rui restless:
“Going in and out of official restricted areas, communicating and sending letters to find out news.”
The so-called forbidden land of the government, in addition to various ministries and offices, there is another place, also called the forbidden land.
It's called palace ban.
So Cao Rui directly agreed with Dong Zhao's statement without even thinking about it:
Pu Mi's change was caused by Sui Jiao. Since the war, the study of Confucian classics has been abolished, and later generations can't help but talk about it.
His ministers have learned a lot before being appointed as herdsmen, and those who take the doctoral examination and promote them to high positions should be urgently used; those who are flashy and do not follow the principles of Taoism, should be dismissed!
Therefore, he designated those "young party friends" as "flashy friends", and the most famous among them, such as Zhuge Dan, Deng Yang and others, were all dismissed from office.
The Hussar General's Mansion was originally one of the most illustrious palaces in Luoyang City.
Although Sima Yi is not in Luoyang, the eldest son Sima Shi has extensive contacts. On weekdays, there are many young talents in the Wei Kingdom.
Master Sima even held a banquet at his house and chatted with young famous writers in Luoyang all night long.
This grand occasion came to an abrupt end when Cao Rui issued an edict to investigate the "flashy cronies".
The news that one of his former friends had been investigated and deposed made Master Sima feel as if he had fallen into an icy valley.
The Hussar General's Mansion occupies a huge area, and the Sima family is originally from a noble family in Hedong, so it has a profound foundation.
So the arrangement of the backyard of the house is quite exquisite. When spring comes, the branches and flowers in the courtyard are in bud, and the weeds on the ground have already poked their heads out, creating a green patch of green.
Sima Shi sat in the house blankly. The vitality of the courtyard could not attract him in the slightest.
His eyes were bloodshot, his face was deathly gray, and his lips were chapped.
Although he was wrapped in a fur coat, his body under the fur coat was still trembling from time to time in a way that was visible to the naked eye.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m scared, or because I feel it’s still a bit cold in early spring.
There was no one else in the house. Even the servants were kicked out by him and no one was allowed to come in.
He didn't want to see anyone or hear anything right now.
He just wants to be quiet.
Jingjing didn't want him, so there were footsteps at the door, and someone broke in without fear of his orders.
Sima Master trembled and turned his head in panic.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the person who came was his junior prince Xia Houhui.
“What are you doing here?”
Sima Shi asked in a hissing voice.
“I heard from my servants that Alang hasn’t eaten all day, so I brought some food to Alang.”
Xia Houhui put the things next to Master Sima and said softly.
Xiahou Hui is the sister of Xiahouxuan, and Xiahouxuan is one of the leaders of the "Flashy Clique".
After Cao Rui ascended the throne, he did not establish the main wife Yu as his queen, but instead established the concubine Mao.
The Mao family came from a humble background. Queen Mao's younger brother Mao Zeng was known for his vulgar behavior.
Compared with the elegant young master Xia Houxuan, whose appearance is "as bright as the sun and the moon in one's arms", his appearance is even worse.
It just so happened that Cao Rui wanted Xia Houxuan and Mao Zeng to sit side by side.
This move was to improve the status of the Mao family, but it also made Xia Houxuan feel humiliated.
Xia Houxuan showed displeasure on the spot.
Cao Rui was not very big-minded, so he naturally held a grudge when he saw this, and later found an excuse to demote him to the position of Yulin Supervisor.
Now Xia Houxuan is at the forefront again, and he is among the first people to be deposed.
Something happened to my brother Xia Houxuan, and now my brother Alang is waiting for death again.
Xia Houhui was under tremendous pressure, which was slightly less than that of Sima Division.
But she still had to grit her teeth, and after comforting her daughters, she came over to comfort Master Sima.
"Eat whatever you want. Do you think I can eat anything like this?"
Sima Shi said loudly and irritably, as if this could vent his fear.
Xia Houzheng frowned, looked at Master Sima's decadent appearance, and said slowly:
“Alang is the eldest son of the Sima family, and my uncle is a hussar general and an auxiliary minister appointed by the late emperor. Why are you worried? Why can’t you sleep and eat well?”
“Can the auxiliary minister resist the emperor’s orders?”
As soon as Master Sima said these words, he knew that he had made a mistake.
He raised his head and looked at Xia Houhui, just in time to see the other person's fleeting expression.
After all, Master Sima was still young. He said this and explained in a loud voice: "Xi Jun, what I mean is that no matter how high your official position is, you still have to obey your orders..."
"I know."
Xia Houhui picked up the bowl and handed it to Master Sima, "Fortunately, there are only you and me here. But Alang is outside, so you should be more careful."
Seeing that Xia Houzheng's expression and tone were calm, Master Sima relaxed slightly and lowered his head to take a sip of rice porridge.
“I remember, didn’t my uncle send someone to send a letter to Alang?”
Xia Houhui asked again when he saw that Master Sima was finally willing to eat.
Master Sima was startled. He remembered that the letter told him to study hard and he also said something about temporary setbacks. His hands suddenly trembled.
With a "clatter", the bowl in his hand fell to the ground. The rice porridge in the bowl spilled onto his clothes, and then dripped onto the ground.
He looked at Xia Houhui in horror, his lips moved, but before he could speak, he heard the sound of rapid footsteps again outside.
“Mr. Lang, the palace sent someone to lead the imperial army to the house!”
When Master Sima heard this, his face, which had no color at all, turned extremely pale.
His body swayed and he almost fainted.
Xia Houhui quickly supported him and said in a low voice: "Alang, since uncle has guaranteed that you will be fine, then it must be fine."
“Let’s go to the front first and see why the people in the palace are here.”
Sima Shi woke up with a start, and with Xia Houhui's help, he was able to stand up.
He walked to the door with some staggering steps, held on to the doorframe, and then turned back to look at Xia Houhui.
Xia Houhui also said that he was worried, and looked at him with comforting and encouraging eyes.
Master Sima forced a smile, then asked his servants to support him and walked to the front courtyard.
At this time, if the palace sends someone here, it will naturally not do anything good.
The chamberlain passed down the emperor's oral instructions, saying that Master Sima had too close contacts with the flashy cronies, especially Xia Houxuan and He Yan, who were the leaders of the cliques.
Among them, Xiahou Xuan was an in-law, and He Yan once praised him highly, so he asked people to take Sima Shi back to ask for details.
Sima Yi was not in Luoyang, so news could not be exchanged in time.
The eldest son of the family was taken away, and the second son, Sima Zhao, was still young. The Hussars General's family suddenly lost its backbone, and people were in panic.
Some of the concubines and maids in the house were timid and could not help crying.
The people under the slaves are like headless rats, running around everywhere.
The mansion of the Xuanhe Hussar General suddenly became chaotic.
“The person is not dead yet! There is a mourning cry!”
Just when the people in the house were mourning for their heirs, a sharp shout rang out.
A woman of about forty led the servants and first had all the main and small doors of the Hussars' General's house tightly closed, and then gathered all the servants together.
The woman has stern eyes and a resolute face. She is Zhang Chunhua, Sima Yi's wife.
She heard someone crying in the crowd, and pointed to the direction of the crying: "Tie her up!"
The strong servant woman rushed over and grabbed one of Sima Yi's concubines.
“Keep your mouth shut, and whoever dares to cry again will be beaten to death with a stick!”
Zhang Chunhua looked around at everyone again, but no one dared to speak out again.
“The Hussars General is an auxiliary minister. Now he is highly valued by your majesty and leads the army. My son was just called by your majesty for questioning.”
“Everything is fine in the house and the sky hasn’t fallen yet, why are you crying?!”
Zhang Chunhua said sternly, "As long as His Majesty does not issue an order for one day, Sima's Mansion will still be the General's Mansion of the Hussars."
"From today onwards, everything will remain as usual except that we will no longer welcome guests. If anyone dares to disturb the people of the house again, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Zhang Chunhua gave him a lecture, and then ordered people to inspect the house more intensively.
Finally, he called his son Sima Zhao, as well as his daughter-in-law, granddaughter, etc. to comfort them one by one.
The house is temporarily stable, but the investigation of "flashy cliques" outside is getting louder and louder.
Not only were those young scholars who liked to socialize with each other were investigated, but Cao Rui also hired Sima Zhi, who was dismissed from office because he offended too many powerful people because of his impartiality in law enforcement.
Let him crack down on lawlessness in Luoyang to implement the new laws enacted last year.
For a time, the members of the Flamboyant Party, who law enforcement officials did not dare to offend in the past, no longer dared to allow their slaves to violate the law, and even they themselves did not dare to show their faces again.
The atmosphere in Luoyang has become pure. Not only many of the Cao Wei elders who hold real power in the court are satisfied, but also the people of Luoyang are applauded and praised.
At the same time, the newly enacted laws were successfully implemented without any obstruction.
Sima Shi was brought into the palace for questioning, but he was locked in a quiet room. No one visited him for several days. Only the chamberlain sent him a message to let him reflect here.
It wasn't until the storm outside began to subside that the first person came to see him.
The person who came here was Dong Zhao, who took the lead and advised Cao Rui to investigate the "flashy cronies".
“I met Dong Weiwei.”
Sima Shi, who had not been washed for several days, was a little disheveled. When he saw Dong Zhao, he quickly got up and saluted.
Although Dong Zhao was acting as a Situ, his real official position was Weiwei, so Sima Shi was called this.
Dong Zhao helped Sima Shi up and said in a friendly tone: "General Hussar and I were officials in the same dynasty, and we also experienced three dynasties together."
“We have been in frequent contact with each other, so just call me Shibo.”
Master Sima has been under house arrest these days and has not received any news from the outside. He is panicking in his heart. How can he dare to respond when he hears this?
“Sit down first and then talk.”
Seeing his appearance, Dong Zhao had to comfort him and sit down first.
Then he took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it over.
Master Sima took it and saw the familiar font on the envelope, and finally couldn't control his emotions.
His lips were trembling and he asked in a trembling voice: "May I ask Mr. Dong, are my lords okay?"
Dong Zhao nodded approvingly when he heard Sima Shi's question.
Under such circumstances, Sima Ziyuan asked this question, which shows that his heart is not as simple as it seems on the surface.
Because as long as Sima Zhongda is still the hussar general, then Sima Ziyuan himself will be fine.
"The flashy cronies your Majesty is investigating this time are all young hypocrites. The Hussars General is a veteran minister in the court and an auxiliary minister appointed by the late emperor. What does this matter have to do with him? So of course everything is fine. "
When Master Sima heard the news, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. As if all the strength in his body had been drained, he slumped to the ground.
“My good nephew is still young, and it is understandable that he mistakenly associates with bad people. Your Majesty allows you to reflect in a quiet room for your own good.”
Dong Zhao comforted him.
“Yes, yes, Master understands.”
Sima Shi hurriedly said, "After this incident, Master will definitely draw a clear line between himself and those flashy people and never interact with them again."
“That’s good, that’s good.”
Dong Zhao nodded repeatedly, "It seems that my nephew has really reflected on these days. I will report to Your Majesty tomorrow and let you return home."
“Thank you, Mr. Dong.”
"I told you that I have a good relationship with General Hussar, just call me Shibo."
Dong Zhao looked at Master Sima and said something meaningful.
“Thank you, Uncle Shi.”
Sima Shi understood immediately.
“When you return home, please remember what you said today and never interact with those flashy cronies again.”
Dong Zhao finally lowered his voice and reminded in the voice of only two people, "Not even if they are in-laws."
Sima Master trembled and looked at Dong Zhao in disbelief.
Dong Zhao’s eyes were cold and deep.
Sima Shi’s lips moved, and finally he responded: “My nephew understands.”
Dong Zhao then nodded with satisfaction, "Only in this way can we ensure that you will not be implicated."
Then he turned around and walked out.
Sima Shi was once again the only one left in the quiet room.
He sat there blankly, thinking of Xia Houhui who had given birth to five daughters for him, with a look of pain on his face.
After an unknown amount of time, his eyes fell on the letter he had been holding in his hand, and a look of hope suddenly appeared in his eyes.
His hands were trembling and he tore open the seal in a panic, and unfolded the letter with a shaking hand.
With just a glance, Master Sima's eyes once again turned from hope to despair.
There is only one line in the letter: Listen to Dong Weiwei's instructions.
“No, it’s impossible…”
Sima Shi muttered to himself, as if he didn't believe it, but also seemed to refuse to believe it.
However, thinking about what the adults said to him before, Master Sima had to face a fact: The adults seemed to have known that such a day would happen?
So is all this actually arranged?
Recalling the last words Dong Zhao said before leaving, Master Sima suddenly shuddered again.
Could it be that His Majesty's hatred for Xia Houxuan has reached this point?
This possibility made Master Sima begin to show hesitation on his face.
Thinking again of her reaction when Xia Houhui overheard her slip of the tongue.
She also knew the letters from adults.
Sima Shi, who was still feeling a little cold, suddenly broke out in sweat. He suddenly thought of a terrible consequence.
ˆ PS: Most people think that the flashy case happened in the 10th year of Jianxing, and some people think it happened in the 8th year of Jianxing. Due to historical changes, this book is set in the eighth year of Jianxing.
(End of this chapter)