Chapter 29 Getting what you want Sima Fu sat bored in the guard duty room, staring at the empty desk in a daze. There were several dents on the wooden table and there were many bundles of bamboo slips on the shelf opposite. Sima Fu could point them out accurately even with his eyes closed. It has been three days since Sima Fu was transferred to the Sanqi Province. These three days seemed to be the three most leisurely days in Sima Fu’s more than 40 years of life. Three days ago, Emperor Cao Rui came to the Secretariat in person. The Secretary-General Chen Jiao knelt at the door to greet the emperor and dissuaded the emperor from wanting to personally check the documents. Emperor Cao Rui readily accepted Chen Jiao's advice, and publicly praised Chen Jiao and Sima Fu as rare loyal ministers in the Wei Dynasty. The emperor did not enter the Secretariat and soon returned to the palace. However, before leaving, he praised Chen Jiao and Sima Fu for the second time and said that he would consult these two officials on state affairs. Under the envious gazes of the officials in the Secretariat, Chen Jiao watched the emperor's carriage go away bit by bit. Chen Jiao couldn't figure it out.
Are the descendants of the Cao family so easy to talk to? The process seemed like a play, which seemed a bit fake. Coupled with the praise from the emperor, Chen Jiaozhi was confused. In the morning, Cao Rui went to the Secretariat in person, but was stopped at the door by Chen Jiao and persuaded to leave. In the afternoon, the palace issued an imperial edict to inform all the counties and states of the good deeds of Chen Jiao and Sima Fu. At the same time, Sima Fu was summoned to be a regular attendant of the emperor and stay by his side for consultation. In the evening, among the Imperial College and young scholars in Luozhong, there was a saying that "Chen Jibi is strong and resolute, while Sima Fu is daring to speak out and give direct advice." The two became famous in Luoyang overnight. Chen Jiao and Sima Fu finally got the "fame" they wanted. So, what is the price? Sima Fu, who had been sitting idly in the palace for three days, still hadn't figured it out. In Cao Wei, the positions of Palace Attendant and Palace Vice Minister had always been a stepping stone for the promotion of the sons of noble families, or a temporary position used by the emperor to observe ministers at close range. Therefore, Sima Fu, who was appointed as the Palace Attendant, naturally thought that he had gotten what he wanted. However, during the three days that Sima Fu was in the Palace Attendant, Emperor Cao Rui did not summon him once. The sun was setting, and when Sima Fu was returning home after finishing his shift, he unexpectedly ran into Chen Jiao who was also preparing to return home. Sima Fu smiled and said, "Brother Ji Bi, why are you here in the palace today? Did His Majesty summon you?" Chen Jiao shook his head slightly: "Your Majesty sent someone to the Shangshutai this morning to summon me to the palace, saying that he might have some state affairs to consult me." Sima Fu continued, "Is that so? Then what does His Majesty want to consult you about?" Chen Jiao shook his head again. Sima Fu said impatiently: "Such a confidential matter, can't you even tell me?" Chen Jiao said slowly: "Shuda, it's not that I didn't tell you, but His Majesty summoned me to the palace for a whole day, but I didn't even see His Majesty." Sima Fu sneered: "How ridiculous..." Before Sima Fu finished speaking, the expression on his face froze in an instant. After just a few moments, the corners of his mouth that had been raised quickly turned downwards and turned into a bitter smile. Now it was Chen Jiao's turn to be curious.
Chen Jiao asked, "Shuda, what happened?" Sima Fu opened his mouth but could not utter a word. After a long while, Sima Fu said in a daze: "I have not been summoned by the emperor for three days. I have been sitting idle in the Ministry of Cavalry..." The two stood at the palace gate, looking at each other and smiling bitterly. Chen Jiao and Sima Fu were not stupid people. How could they not understand at this moment that they had been framed by the emperor! What kind of ministers did the emperor like? First of all, they were definitely not ministers like Chen Jiao and Sima Fu, who were not only in the way but also offensive. On the contrary, people like Liu Ye, who are intelligent, able to understand the emperor's thoughts and give effective suggestions, are the emperor's favorites. That’s right, this was exactly the strategy that came from the Minister Liu Ye. That morning, Cao Rui was at the gate of Shangshutai, and after receiving Chen Jiao's "admonition" and returning to Beigong, he already had the idea of dealing with Chen Jiao and Sima Fu in his mind. Sima Fu was so unrestrained, he must have done so in order to gain fame and get promoted to a higher position. From Cao Rui's perspective, you Sima Fu want fame, and I, the emperor, also want fame! That's easy to do. I can just praise you two in front of all the counties and states in the world. This way you will become famous, and I will also gain a reputation for being humble and receptive to advice. Isn't that wonderful? However, you have become famous by using me as a background, so you must pay a price. Then I will give you an empty title and let you retire. Power? It has nothing to do with you from now on. Although Cao Rui had made his own judgment, he still wanted to hear the opinions of several of his close ministers. Liu Ye was naturally the most adept at doing things that followed the emperor's wishes. Liu Ye said: "Your Majesty, Sima Fu is arrogant and rebellious. Although such a person is famous, I think he cannot be used for important tasks. It is better to grant him a position and then put him aside." Cao Rui thought Liu Ye was sensible, and then asked, "In your opinion, what honorary position should be given to Sima Fu?" Liu Ye quickly replied, "Sima Fu was previously a Palace Attendant, so you might as well appoint him as a Palace Attendant, which would be a promotion. The Palace Attendants are noble but useless, so it's just right to place someone like Sima Fu, and it would also be convenient for Your Majesty to keep an eye on him." Just when Liu Ye was discussing about putting "this kind of person" Sima Fu in the "useless" position of Palace Cavalry, he forgot while talking that there was a "useless" Zhong Yu standing behind him! The position of Shizhong has existed since the Han Dynasty, while the position of Sanqi was newly established after the late Emperor Cao Pi ascended the throne. Both were close ministers to the emperor and had the right to make suggestions and provide advice. However, because most of the Shizhong were state ministers, and most of the Sanqi were royal family members and nobles, the Shizhong often looked down on the Sanqi. When Liu Ye mentioned the "useless" Sanqi, Zhong Yu, a fourteen-year-old boy, looked at Liu Ye with a little anger. It was obvious that Liu Ye did not take his 14-year-old colleague seriously. However, Cao Rui, who knew the differences between the Shizhong and Sanqi, keenly saw Zhong Yu's expression in front of him. It's really interesting to see them fighting each other. After Liu Ye finished speaking, Cao Rui nodded and said, "What Liu Qing said is very much in line with my wishes. Let's make the arrangements as Liu Qing said." Liu Ye raised his hands in agreement. But before Liu Ye put down his hands, Cao Rui asked again: "What about Chen Jiao? How should he be dealt with?" "Do we need to deal with Chen Jiao too..." Liu Ye's mouth moved faster than his brain: "Why not let Chen Jiao be a Sanqi as well?" Cao Rui glanced at Liu Ye when he heard this and said, "It's not appropriate for a dignified Shang Shu Ling to be a Palace Attendant." "Why not let Chen Jiao be the minister? He will fill the vacancy. With him, there will be four ministers." One more Shizhong means one more person to share the emperor's favor. Xin Pi and Huang Quan looked at each other and expressed their agreement with the emperor's appointment. Liu Ye was upset by his words just now and wanted to persuade the emperor to take back his decision, but in the end he didn't dare to say anything and could only praise with a stiff face. Standing behind Liu Ye, Zhong Yu, who had become a Palace Attendant at the age of fourteen, saw that Liu Ye had the upper hand over him, and the corners of his mouth widened so much that he was almost laughing out loud.
(End of this chapter)