On the last day of April, Minister of the Interior Wang Lang and Grand Marshal Feng Ping hurried to Luoyang. After the grand court meeting on the first day of May ended, Feng Ping got on the carriage of Grand Herald Cui Lin and went to the Honglu Temple together. Cui Lin and Cui Deru were born in Qinghe, Jizhou. His cousin was Cui Yan, who was in charge of selecting officials for the Wei Kingdom. As one of the two most outstanding people of the Cui family, although Cui Yan passed away, he also left Cui Lin with many connections and legacy. In the carriage, the two of them just exchanged pleasantries briefly. Feng Ping asked, "Brother Deru, has anything new happened in Luozhong recently?" "What's new?" Cui Lin lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, looked at the crowds of people outside, and stroked his beard and said, "There is one thing." "A few days ago, the Kingdom of Kucha in the Western Regions arrived in Luoyang. They presented some jade and gems, and also sent two Hu concubines to Your Majesty." "Hu Ji?" Feng Ping laughed, "I have only seen her in books, but never in person." Cui Lin glanced at Feng Ping and said, "That's right. You've been in Yangzhou for almost ten years, and you've been in Shouchun since you opened up the Western Regions. How could I have the chance to meet you?" Feng Ping nodded: "The envoy sent two Hu concubines, did Your Majesty accept them?"
Cui Lin said, "Yes, your Majesty accepted it. He also gave many rewards to the envoys from the Kingdom of Qiuci. I was also present at the time. I did not advise him to do so because of his Majesty's pride. After the envoys left, I explained to your Majesty that these small countries in the Western Regions were cheated into receiving rewards. Moreover, sending people to escort them all the way from Dunhuang to Luoyang was very costly and not worth it." "And then?" Feng Ping found it interesting. "Then," Cui Lin sighed softly, "Your Majesty listened to me patiently, but did not adopt my suggestion." When the emperor was on a southern expedition half a year ago, Feng Ping had almost no chance to communicate with the emperor privately. Now that he had been recommended by the Grand Marshal and appointed by His Majesty as the new governor of Henan, he had to understand His Majesty's thoughts. Feng Ping then asked, "Brother Deru is right! Now is not the time for the Former Han Dynasty to make friends with small countries in the Western Regions in order to curb the Xiongnu. The Xianbei are in a mess now, why doesn't Your Majesty follow Brother Deru's advice?" Cui Lin asked: "Guess why?" Feng Ping laughed and said, "How could I guess?" Cui Lin said: "Your Majesty said that it would be fine to let these small countries take advantage of it first. If we take advantage of it now, we can restore the trade routes in the future." Feng Ping also shook his head and said, "Trade routes, what else can those poor places in the Western Regions earn besides cattle and sheep?" The two chatted all the way to the Honglu Temple. Cui Lin’s idea was not wrong. However, Cao Rui had another plan in mind. Only when the news of Luoyang's prosperity and the generosity of the Wei emperor spread throughout the Western Regions would merchants and adventurers gradually restore the Silk Road that had been isolated for a hundred years. You may lose some money in the short term, but how can you not make a profit in the long term? In the Honglu Temple, Cui Lin dismissed his attendants and sat in the hall with Feng Ping. Cui Lin asked in confusion: "Bo Ying, you arrived late yesterday and I just met you today. How did the Grand Marshal appoint you as the governor of Henan? And was the Shangshutai willing to release you?" Feng Ping was silent for a moment. "To be honest with you, Brother Deru, it was the Minister of Works and the Grand Marshal who wrote to each other. The Minister of Works replaced the Grand Marshal with Jiang Ji, and made Jiang Ji the Governor of Yangzhou. The Grand Marshal then took advantage of the situation and pushed me up." Cui Lin said: "But Sima Zhi did benefit. Before the court sent Sima Zhi on the mission, it also made him fill the vacancy of the Grand Coachman among the Nine Ministers." Feng Ping snorted coldly: "Sima Zihua? Can such a person be qualified to be one of the Nine Ministers?" "In Wancheng in January, the Wei Dynasty beat Sun Quan severely. How could he gain any benefit from his mission? How could Your Majesty not blame him?" Cui Lin sighed when he heard this: "Being an envoy to Sun Quan is not a good job. But your Majesty may not be surprised."
Feng Ping raised his eyebrows and looked at Cui Lin: "What do you mean by that?" Cui Lin said: "A few months ago, the ministers in Luoyang only knew that Your Majesty was generous. But in the past two months, after Your Majesty returned to Luoyang, the affairs of the court have become increasingly difficult to understand." Feng Ping listened quietly at the side. Cui Lin said: "Now the Minister of the Court can also be sent out for inspection, and the Governor of Henan can be sent out as an envoy. All government orders must be sent to the palace, and the General and the Minister of Works will take charge of the power..." Feng Ping coughed lightly and said, "Brother Deru, please be careful with your words." Cui Lin said, "Let's wait and see how the situation develops. Bo Ying, you, as the governor of Henan, must also be cautious." …… At this time, in the Beigong study, Wang Lang was reporting to the emperor what happened in Yecheng. Cao Rui frowned and asked, "Was Zhao Qu, the school commander of Ye City, forced to commit suicide so easily by a word from Zhen Xiang?" Wang Lang cupped his hands and said, "Based on the information I currently know, it is indeed true. There should be no dispute that Zhao Qu committed suicide out of fear of punishment." Cao Rui asked, "Is he afraid of Zhen Xiang's revenge? Or is he afraid of my revenge?" Wang Lang paused for a few moments and said, "Perhaps both. Although Zhao Qu is dead, I have basically found out the truth from his two deputies, Wei Ben and Sun Ding." "Yeah." Cao Rui nodded slightly, then stared at Wang Lang. Wang Lang said, "Today I actually want to talk about two things. One is the Wei Feng case, and the other is related to Empress Wen Zhao. So I will talk about the Wei Feng case first?" Cao Rui frowned: "There is no need to talk about Empress Wen Zhao, just write it down clearly for me." Wang Lang shook his head and said, "I think Your Majesty should listen to it." Cao Rui snorted, "Then let's talk about Empress Wen Zhao first!" Wang Lang thought for a moment and shook his head, "I'd better talk about them together." Without waiting for the emperor to respond, Wang Lang said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the common point between the two cases is that the late emperor had almost taken over the school system in Yecheng during the Jian'an period." "After interrogating the two school officials Wei Ben and Sun Ding, I also looked through the Yecheng archives and questioned many old officials in the school affairs office. I can almost confirm this conclusion." Cao Rui asked: "The late emperor was already the crown prince at that time. But wasn't Emperor Wu in charge of the school affairs himself? How did the late emperor manage the school affairs?" Wang Lang said: "During the last years of the Jian'an period, Emperor Wu often had difficulty managing his affairs due to headaches, and the frequency of his attacks increased." "After being forced by public opinion to kill Lu Hong and Zhao Da, Emperor Wu also ran out of energy and gradually handed over the power and responsibilities of the School Affairs Office to the Secretary General." Cao Rui narrowed his eyes and said, "Secretary General... After the previous emperor ascended the throne, he changed the Secretary General to the Secretariat. Are they Liu Fang and Sun Zi?" "Your Majesty is right." Wang Lang said slowly: "After Liu Fang and Sun Zi got hold of the central secrets, they naturally knew about Emperor Wu's situation. Emperor Wu had difficulty managing state affairs, and the late emperor had the title of crown prince, so he obeyed the late emperor's orders." "Go on," Cao Rui said, "What does the school matter have to do with Wei Feng's matter?" Wang Lang said: "It is not particularly related to the Wei Feng case. He just used the school officials to help Wei Feng 'confuse the people' in Yecheng, or to help Wei Feng 'become famous', and also forged some evidence of Wei Feng's rebellion." Cao Rui stood up from his chair and paced around the study with his hands behind his back. "Aren't they afraid that Emperor Wu will find out?" Cao Rui asked again.
Wang Lang raised his head and met Cao Rui's gaze. "How could the Emperor Wu know? In the spring of the 24th year of Jian'an, the Emperor Wu was still in Hanzhong." Cao Rui didn't say anything. In the spring of the 24th year of Jian'an, Xiahou Yuan was killed by Huang Zhong at Dingjun Mountain, and Cao Cao then rushed to Hanzhong himself. In the summer of the 24th year of Jian'an, Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan, beheaded Pang De, and captured Yu Jin. In the autumn of the 24th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao personally sat in Xuchang and commanded the rescue of Fancheng. After the winter, in the spring of the 25th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao died of illness not long after he returned to Luoyang. If that's the case... Did the late Emperor Cao Pi calculate all these things and therefore feel fearless? Cao Rui stood still in the hall, thinking carefully about some key people. Cao Cao died in Luoyang, Jia Kui, Sima Yi, and Xiahou Shang all went to Luoyang to stabilize the situation and appease Cao Zhi and Cao Zhang. Almost all the officials in Yecheng quickly supported Cao Pi to succeed the throne of Wei. To be honest, Cao Pi's helpers were not military generals from the royal family such as Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu, but civil officials such as Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Jia Kui and Zhong Yao! The late emperor had such good reasons for trusting the people of Yingchuan. After thinking for a long time, Cao Rui let out a long sigh. Cao Rui boasted that he had consolidated his power and won battles within less than a year of ascending the throne, so Cao Pi's abilities were often not highly regarded. But Cao Pi was the founding emperor after all, so how come so many people supported him? When Cao Cao was on a campaign outside, Cao Pi often stayed behind in Ye City. Banquets, literary gatherings, friends... All I can say is that no effort is wasted. Cao Rui finally figured out the biggest difference between himself and Cao Pi. There was almost no personal friendship between Cao Rui and his ministers! Cao Pi had a clear distinction between love and hate, outstanding literary talent, and good relations with aristocratic families, clan relatives, and generals. He made friends with those who should be friends, flattered those who should be flattered, and all these actions became the steps on his way to the top. What about Cao Rui? He made almost no friends with ministers when he was in the Eastern Palace, and almost everything he did after he ascended the throne was to give orders while sitting on the throne. Lonely. Cao Rui took a deep breath and continued to ask: "Liu Fang and Sun Zi, following the orders of the late emperor, later took control of the school affairs. Do they still use this to control the central secrets?" Wang Lang said, "That should be the case." Cao Rui waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about Empress Wen Zhao." Wang Lang said after a moment: "When I was asking about school affairs, I heard about this from the school affairs office." "Empress Dowager Guo did order the school officials to falsely accuse Empress Wen Zhao. I know that Your Majesty does not want to pursue this matter, but I want to say that the order received by the school officials in Yecheng was issued directly by Empress Dowager Guo from the Luoyang Palace." Cao Rui thought for a moment and asked, "Husband and wife and politics are the root of chaos. In which year was this edict issued by the late emperor? Was it the second or third year of Huangchu?" Wang Lang replied, "The third year of Huangchu."
"September?" "It's September." Cao Rui took a breath. Cao Pi issued this edict almost at the same time as he made Guo his empress. (End of this chapter)