Chapter 21 No one is a sage Zhong Yao sighed secretly in his heart. The current emperor Cao Rui is indeed a descendant of the Cao family, and is very similar to his grandfather Cao Cao and his father Cao Pi. He always uses some tricks to get Zhong Yao on board his pirate ship. In those days, Zhong Yao escorted Emperor Xian of Han back to Luoyang from Chang'an, and was highly valued by Emperor Xian of Han for this great feat. Emperor Xian of Han appointed Zhong Yao as Shizhong and Marquis of Dongwuting. As a scholar, Zhong Yao also had his own spiritual pursuits. Xun Yu, the Lord Xun, loved to burn incense, and wherever he went, there was fragrance. Zhong Yao's hobby was calligraphy. At that time, the most famous calligrapher in the world was not Zhong Yao, but Cai Wenji's father, the famous scholar Cai Yong and Cai Bojie. Zhong Yao, who had settled down in Luoyang, wanted a copy of Cai Bojie's Calligraphy. When Cao Cao learned about this, he did everything he could to get the book and invited Zhong Yao to his house to have a look. Zhong Yao went to Cao Cao's house excitedly and indeed saw the book "Cai Bojie's Calligraphy". But when Cao Cao and Zhong Yao left Cao Cao's mansion with the book "Cai Bojie's Calligraphy", Cao Cao immediately sent people to spread the word that Zhong Yao had accepted Cao Cao's appointment and would go to Chang'an to guard the Guanyou area and take charge of the affairs. Zhong Yao had no way of defending himself.
Zhong Yao did go to Cao Cao's mansion and did take some documents out. Many people saw it, so it would be impossible to explain it clearly. On the other hand, Zhong Yao, as a Han minister whom Emperor Xian relied on and trusted, accepted Cao Cao's appointment so quickly that the ministers who supported the Han Dynasty could not help but feel disheartened. From then on, the Zhong family of Yingchuan was tied to Cao Cao's chariot. In addition to Cao Cao, there is also Cao Pi. The tricks Cao Pi used were not just asking Cao Zhi to ask for the precious jade ring in Zhong Yao's hand. After Cao Pi succeeded in his bid for the throne, Cao Cao named him the Crown Prince of Wei. At that time, Zhong Yao was the Prime Minister of Wei. Does the prince need to please the prime minister? Generally speaking, he can just treat him with courtesy. However, Cao Pi's position as crown prince was not stable and he could be replaced by Cao Zhi at any time. Cao Pi's "courtesy" to Prime Minister Zhong Yao at this time was really "great" courtesy, so great that it was disgusting. Cao Pi cast a "ding" for Zhong Yao! Cao Zhi was fond of writing, and he wrote an article called "Ode to the Three Cauldrons of the Yellow Emperor". Cao Zhi's main point was that the "cauldron" was something that "hides when the world is in decline, and comes out when the world is in harmony". The Zhou Dynasty had cast nine tripods! Didn't Cao Zhi say that the tripods were made when the world was in harmony? Then who made the world harmonious? Of course it’s an important official of the country like Prime Minister Zhong Yao! So Cao Pi made a "ding" for Zhong Yao. To be more precise, in order to avoid usurping power, Cao Pi made a "cauldron" with a similar shape to the "ding", but without the supporting legs. What’s even more interesting is that Cao Pi did not cast this “cauldron” himself. Cao Pi first wrote an article praising Zhong Yao's virtues. Then, after Cao Pi decided on the shape of the "cauldron", he asked Zhong Yao to help Cao Pi make the "cauldron" and to engrave the articles written by Cao Pi on the inside of the "cauldron". After Zhong Yao made the "cauldron" according to Cao Pi's request, Cao Pi gave the "cauldron" to Zhong Yao in public. In this beautiful story that everyone praised, Zhong Yao was like a donkey pulling a millstone. He helped Cao Pi to turn the millstone and even whipped himself. Cao Cao died, and Cao Pi also died.
Now Cao Rui came to Zhong Yao's house again, presented a piece of jade, recruited his eldest son Zhong Yu, and wanted to meet his youngest son Zhong Hui soon. Apart from the Zhong family, why don't you go to other aristocratic families? They are all being fleeced! But Zhong Yao himself was also in the wrong. He helped Cao Cao and became the prime minister. He helped Cao Pi and became the general. If he helped Cao Rui again, wouldn't his son Zhong Yu's career be more stable? No one is perfect, so who can be without desires? After Cao Rui's action, Zhong Yao could no longer refuse Cao Rui's request. Just now, Cao Rui asked Zhong Yao whether students who graduated from the Imperial College could be directly granted official positions. Zhong Yao’s answer was, at the moment, no. When people get old, they tend to be dazed. When Zhong Yao was thinking about something, he really looked like he was in a daze. After all, he was seventy-six years old, so it was understandable. Cao Rui saw Zhong Yao was silent for a while after finishing his long speech, and said softly: "Grand Marshal, Grand Marshal?" Zhong Yao suddenly realized and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am indeed old and weak. I really don't have enough energy." Cao Rui waved his hand and reminded him, "It's okay. I am the one who bothered the Grand Commandant. I just asked the Grand Commandant whether students can be directly appointed as officials after graduation. The Grand Commandant said that they should be selected based on their talent and virtue." Zhong Yao nodded slowly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand what I said." Cao Rui then asked: "What the Grand Commandant said makes sense. Can we give some preferential treatment to the students of the Imperial College?" "For example, when the rank of a student at the Imperial College is assessed by Zhongzheng, can his rank be raised based on his experience at the Imperial College?" "After all, the Imperial College is also for educating talents for the country!" Zhong Yao showed a pleased expression: "Your Majesty, what you said is very reasonable. I have been in charge of the Imperial College for many years, but I have never thought of such a thing. It is my fault." Cao Rui smiled and said, "The Grand Commandant is an important official of the state. He doesn't need to worry about such a small matter." A small matter? This is not a small matter. Cao Rui's meaning was clear: if a student studied at the Imperial College, he would be rated at a higher grade when the grades were assessed. That means being able to get a higher official position. Imperial College is equal to high rank, equal to a higher official position. Imperial College is equal to a high official position. Such an equation is easy to prove. This is the beginning of tentatively digging up the roots of the family. Why did the noble families support the Nine-Rank Officials? Because in each state and county, when aristocratic families served as officials, they would naturally be given a higher rank. The imperial court would not refuse such an assessment as a rule. The power to select talents lies in the hands of the aristocratic families in various places. If Cao Rui's proposal were followed, the quality of graduates from the Imperial College would be improved. The person who holds the power to recruit students to the Imperial College will naturally influence the careers of a large number of people. Who was responsible for the enrollment of students at the Imperial College? The imperial court was backed by the emperor, not the aristocratic families. This is clearly an act of undermining the roots of the aristocratic families. Now that Cao Rui has brought it up, it is obvious that it will not be blocked by the gentry.
Why? Because most of the current students in the Imperial College are from aristocratic families. Studying in the Imperial College to improve one's rank is of course a good thing for these children of aristocratic families. But...what if the Imperial College recruits more students from poor families in the future? It's just a matter of the emperor's words. That's very different. Considering Zhong Yao's experience as an official in the Han and Wei dynasties, it is impossible for him, as an experienced man, to not understand the twists and turns behind this. But what can Zhong Yao do? Cao Rui had already used Zhong Yu's position as a cavalry assistant and Cao Pi's jade ring to silence Zhong Yao. Who knows, there might be a child named Zhong Hui added later. You've boarded Cao's pirate ship! Cao Rui's purpose of coming here has been achieved, and the conversation between him and Zhong Yao was a pleasant one for both parties. After a while, Zhong Yu came in holding a babbling baby. Cao Rui teased Zhong Hui with great interest for a while. This one-year-old child could barely speak, and there was no sign of him having the talent to destroy a country in the future. Cao Rui smiled and said, "What a gifted and beautiful woman! The Grand Commandant has given birth to two good sons." Zhong Yao could only decline the offer repeatedly. This is the first time the author has written a book, and I am very grateful for everyone's reading. I also ask friends to help read it, and if you have extra recommendation votes, please vote~~~~~~ There is one more chapter before twelve o'clock
(End of this chapter)