Chapter 767 The storm arose
Sima Shi returned to his residence, and the people of General Hussar's residence, who were suppressed by Zhang Chunhua, finally calmed down completely.
The eldest man in the house is fine, which means that His Majesty has no intention of blaming him.
Looking at his son's pale face and haggard expression, Zhang Chunhua knew that he had suffered a lot these days.
After confirming that Master Sima had no health problems, he was helped back to his yard, and then ordered his daughter-in-law Xia Houhui to take good care of him.
Xia Houhui had people boil minced meat and carefully fed Master Sima one bite at a time.
Seeing that he had regained a lot of energy, he asked, "Is Alang okay?"
This "nothing" is naturally not a physical nothingness, but an implication in the "flashy clique" case.
When Master Sima heard Xia Houhui's question, he trembled slightly and then closed his eyes.
Only then did he dare to utter a vague "hmm" in his throat.
This is an answer to Xia Houhui’s question.
Xia Houhui breathed a sigh of relief, "As long as nothing happens."
Seeing him like this, I just thought he was frightened and didn't want to think about what he had experienced these days.
She carefully helped Sima Shi lie down, then tucked him in, and then went out gently.
Hearing the sound of closing the door, Master Sima opened his eyes and saw the figure before the door was closed tightly. There was guilt and pain in his eyes.
But in fact, for many old foxes in the court, there is something more profound.
Sima Shi was not a special case by being implicated.
All the young scholars involved are basically the children of aristocratic families and powerful people, and they are also the most famous ones.
In other words, this flashy case has directly suppressed the younger generation of many aristocratic families and powerful people. In the next few years, they will no longer be able to be employed.
Cao Rui's vigorous and resolute action this time really hit some people in the gut at once.
This family, which had been somewhat carried away in recent years, suddenly woke up: the current emperor may not be young, but his mind and skills cannot be underestimated.
“It not only establishes prestige, but also suppresses the momentum of the family, and at the same time allows the new law to be implemented smoothly.”
"Before I left Luoyang, I asked Liu Ziyang (Liu Ye) what he thought of His Majesty."
“Liu Ziyang praised your majesty for being the wife of the First Emperor of Qin and Xiaowu of the Han Dynasty. Now it seems that it is indeed true!”
Sima Yi didn’t know whether it was praise or emotion, but he said to Zhang Chunhua who was coming from Luoyang.
Zhang Chunhua was angry and anxious when he heard Sima Yi's words:
I came all the way here to ask you what my son will do in the future, not to hear you praise the emperor here.
Besides, I don’t know who you are? There are no outsiders here, so who are you showing your loyalty to?
“Since Huang Chu established the nine-level Zhongzheng system, many right-wing families thought they had gained power and did not know how to restrain themselves.”
“And from Emperor Wu to the present, there are many veterans of three generations…”
Before Sima Yi finished speaking, Zhang Chunhua heard the roar of a lion from Hedong: "Sima Zhongda, I just want to know what my son will do in the future. I'm not here to listen to you talk about these affairs in the court."
Since Sima Shi couldn't leave the house now, Zhang Chunhua came to see Sima Yi in person.
At that time, Cao Cao attacked Sima Yi for the first time. Sima Yi pretended to have wind paralysis and was unable to get up from his bed.
Later, one time when he was drying books, he encountered a heavy rainstorm. Sima Yi couldn't help but collect the books.
Only a maid in the family saw this. Zhang Chunhua was worried that Sima Yi's pretending to be ill would be exposed and cause disaster, so he killed the maid himself to silence her.
Then he went down to the stove to light the fire and cook as if nothing had happened.
It can be seen from this that Zhang Chunhua is not only superior in intelligence, but his methods are even better than those of ordinary men.
Even Sima Yi, who was a hussar general, valued and respected the royal wife.
Now that he heard her yelling, Sima Yi had no choice but to explain: "Xijun doesn't know something. Your Majesty personally planned this matter, and it has something to do with the DPRK."
"What's the meaning?"
Zhang Chunhua asked.
Sima Yi sighed and said, "Your Majesty is different from Emperor Wen, and more like Emperor Wu who attaches great importance to the law."
“What’s more, Emperor Wu once promoted many common people into the court. However, from the beginning of Huang Dynasty, the powerful and powerful families flourished for a while.”
“This flashy crony case is actually because His Majesty wants to take over the power, warns the senior officials in the court, and at the same time suppresses the right-wing dignitaries.”
"Our current majesty is a man of great ambition."
Over the past few years, His Majesty has been trying to monopolize the government affairs. He has transferred all the auxiliary ministers who have real power to outside, in order to reduce the influence of himself and others on the government affairs.
It is a pity that the two major defeats in the sixth year of Jianxing made it impossible to establish His Majesty's prestige, which caused many constraints.
Among them, the most prominent ones were the elders who had gone through three dynasties and the powerful right-wing families.
Moreover, from His Majesty’s appointment of Doctors of Law to personally observe the trials of prison cases, we can see how much he attaches importance to the law.
Huge right-wing families are the biggest obstacle to the implementation of the rule of law.
So after a "flashy crony case" came down, His Majesty succeeded in many ways.
It is not an exaggeration to say that he has the legacy of Emperor Wu.
Hearing Sima Yi's analysis, Zhang Chunhua finally realized that there was such an inside story in the "Flashy Clique" case.
"Since you knew this happened earlier, why didn't you remind Dalang earlier?"
Zhang Chunhua figured it out and became even more angry.
Sima Yi smiled bitterly: "Xijun, why didn't I remind him? Before I asked him to return to Luoyang, I reminded him several times, but he was still young and energetic, so he never listened."
“Besides, I can’t say too much about the secrets of the palace, and I am also among the veterans, and I am in the position of assistant to the government.”
"If what I said is known to others, I'm afraid that by then our Sima family will not only be in trouble with Dalang, I'm afraid that I will also be involved."
“Furthermore, I never thought that Your Majesty would dare to do this.” When Sima Yi said this, his eyes flashed with a gloomy light, “There are many sons of important ministers in the court who are being suppressed.”
“Our Majesty is determined to take charge of the government alone!”
Having planned for most of his life, Sima Yi never expected that he still underestimated the current His Majesty.
He thought that this time, the most he could do was issue an edict and severely reprimand him, but he didn't expect that he would be brutal.
Zhang Chunhua is a woman with extraordinary courage. When other women hear that someone dares to speak of His Majesty like this, they will be frightened and speechless.
But she was not afraid at all, and even frowned and said: "There are strong prisoners outside, and your Majesty's methods are so cruel, are you not afraid of chilling the hearts of your ministers?"
Sima Yi smiled calmly, "It's just the emperor's mind. If the master has no authority, then the ministers will not even have awe. What's the difference between a cold heart and a non-cold heart?"
"On the contrary, as long as the master holds the power, why should he fear that his ministers will be cold-hearted? As long as he shows a little kindness to the emperor, his ministers will just shed tears of gratitude."
“When Emperor Wu failed to conquer me, he wanted to put me in prison. Was he afraid of chilling my heart?”
It is undeniable that Cao Rui's methods are good.
But not only did Sima Yi escape from Cao Cao, he even survived three dynasties. What trouble has the old fox not seen?
What's more, how can Cao Rui compare to Cao Cao?
When Zhang Chunhua heard this, he finally understood it completely.
She sighed, "Such methods will always leave hidden dangers."
“Your Majesty is already impatient, and it’s normal for him to be harsh in his methods. But I didn’t expect that things would develop to this point.”
When Sima Yi said this, his face became slightly gloomy again.
“Even if there are some hidden dangers, there is still time to eliminate them.”
As long as all the old ministers in the court are dead, His Majesty happens to be at the peak of the Spring and Autumn Period. Doesn't he have the final say in everything?
Even if I have reached the time when I know my destiny, how can I compare my years with His Majesty?
No matter how cold-hearted a minister is, as long as he has been polished for several years, are you still afraid that he will disobey in the end?
Just so what if you know this?
After all, as the master, Your Majesty naturally takes the initiative.
The master wants to establish a firm foundation, either by showing off his power externally or by showing kindness internally.
Showing off one's strength to others... Although His Majesty doesn't know what he thinks, but as far as Sima Yi himself is concerned, it's better not to think too much about it for the time being.
Just beat the barbarians in the north.
For Nei Shin ... either the grace to the family of the family, or Shi En to the head of Cangtou Guizhou or the Hanmen.
Emperor Wen chose the former one.
It now seems that His Majesty chose the latter option.
His Majesty seems to want to imitate Emperor Wu in attacking powerful and right-wing families, attaching importance to laws, and ruling the country by law!
Zhang Chunhua saw that his strategist Alang was a little restrained, and he couldn't help but said anxiously and angrily:
"Hearing what you say, wouldn't it mean that the older man in our family is going to waste a few more years?"
As a mother, she doesn’t care about the common people or the emperor’s intentions. She only knows that her son’s implication this time seems to be far more serious than imagined.
“That’s something that can’t be helped.”
Sima Yi sighed, "Da Lang is younger than your Majesty. If you wait a few more years, there will always be opportunities. Don't be in a hurry."
"And this incident can be regarded as a lesson for him, so that he can sharpen his skills."
Zhang Chunhua asked reluctantly: "So, can we just wait?"
“There is no other way.”
Sima Yi nodded.
Zhang Chunhua did not expect that he would get such an answer after rushing over eagerly.
At the moment, I was even more worried: "Will this matter involve you?"
Sima Yi stroked his beard with a rather unconcerned look on his face:
“Among the four important assistant ministers left by the late emperor, except Chen Qun who did not hold military power, both the deceased Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen in Guanzhong have all suffered defeats since they assisted the government.”
“Only I defeated Soochow in Jingzhou, and then killed Mengda in Yongcheng. Not only did I have no fault, but I also made meritorious deeds.”
"If His Majesty still wants to implicate me in this situation, it will be beyond the reach of a cold heart."
This is not conceited or arrogant, but stating a fact.
Sima Yi believed that Cao Rui would never do such a stupid thing.
Your Majesty has been extremely intelligent since he was a child. Emperor Wu is very different. He is often placed alongside his ministers at court meetings or banquets.
Even Emperor Wu, who is so talented, could not help praising His Majesty in public: "Because of you, the foundation of the Cao family can be passed down to at least three generations!"
Emperor Wen forced Empress Wen Zhao to death. His Majesty was also convicted because of his mother, which did not please Emperor Wen.
Emperor Wen even intended to make King Yuancheng the crown prince.
But His Majesty was still able to inherit the throne in the end. Emperor Wu's evaluation of His Majesty in his early years naturally played a part.
If your Majesty did such a self-destructive thing, how could he deserve the praise of Emperor Wu back then?
Although Zhang Chunhua didn't see it as clearly as Sima Yi, she didn't really believe that Cao Rui would involve her Alang.
She asked this just because she wanted to get a positive answer.
Now that she saw Sima Yi being so confident, she finally felt at ease:
"Forget it. I will go back to Luoyang tomorrow and tell Dalang about these twists and turns, so that he can calm down and learn more in the past few years."
“No hurry, no hurry.” Sima Yi coughed, “Since Mr. Xi is here, let’s stay a few more days.”
"Since I led the army outside, you and I haven't been together for a long time. It would be good for Mr. Xi to stay a few more days."
Zhang Chunhua glanced at Sima Yi: "How many days do you want me to wait before leaving?"
“Yes, wait a few days.”
"All right."
Sima Yi asked Sima Shi to wait, and Cao Rui was also waiting.
In a side hall of the Royal Palace in Luoyang City, Cao Rui was holding a book in his right hand and standing in front of the window sill with his hands behind his back, as if he was admiring the spring scenery outside.
He was wearing ordinary clothes, without a hat, and looked a little thin.
His thin lips were pursed tightly, and his eyes flashed from time to time, showing that he was a very independent person.
The leader of the army, Yang Ji, walked in hastily, "Your Majesty!"
Cao Rui turned around and asked calmly: "What's the news?"
“Your Majesty, the news from Luoyang has reached Yangzhou, and everyone in Yangzhou is now talking about flashy matters.”
"The meticulous work of Soochow has probably spread the news across the river earlier."
Yang Ji replied.
Cao Rui nodded, "Luoyang City already has the detailed work of Wu and Shu. If the news reaches Yangzhou, Sun Quan should have known about it by now. Go and call Yinfan in."
Yang Ji was about to speak but stopped.
“Do you still have any doubts?”
Cao Rui asked again when he saw Yang Ji didn't move.
Yang Ji hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I do have some unanswered questions."
“Let’s talk and listen.”
"Your Majesty wants to send Yinfan to Soochow, why don't you send another person to Xishu? A large army cannot attack Shu, but if you can send someone to cause trouble to the kings and ministers of Shu, it will be a good thing."
Cao Rui was unhappy when he heard that "the army cannot attack Shu".
It’s just that he knew that although Yang Ji was the most opposed to conquering Shu, he was still loyal, and this was not the time to argue about it.
So I can only put this issue aside for now and explain to Yang Ji the reason why he didn’t send anyone to Xishu:
“The people of Shu pretended to be Zhuge Liang, but they originally governed Shu with strict laws, and the people of Shu had formulated the "Shu Ke" more than ten years ago."
“If we send someone there, they may not be tempted by the new laws and regulations, so that’s not what we should do.”
“I heard that Zhuge acted justly and had extraordinary intelligence. I will personally decide all matters in Shu, no matter how big or small.”
“Therefore, even if the people we send cannot surpass Zhuge Liang in intelligence, they cannot be too inferior.”
"Otherwise, everything will have to be investigated by Zhuge Liang. If you are not careful, you will be in danger of overturning. This is not the case."
Besides, if Wei really wanted someone as talented as Zhuge Liang, he would not be able to send him to work as a craftsman.
“But Your Majesty, Lu Xun of Wu State also has great talents.”
Yang Ji reminded me.
Cao Rui smiled confidently:
"Lu Xun is a man of great talent, capable of bringing peace to the country through military force, and able to govern the country through literature. But I only saw that he obeyed Sun Quan's orders, stayed in Wuchang, and assisted Sun Deng, and I knew that he was not familiar with the ways of the court."
"Otherwise, why would Wu State be worried about splitting without realizing it? Moreover, he is far away in Wuchang, so even if he wanted to, he would not be able to interfere with the construction of industry."
(End of this chapter)