Chapter 3: Long Life and Short Life Four years ago, Cao Rui married Yu, who was from a prominent family in Hanoi. This was arranged by the late Emperor Cao Pi. As Cao Rui's principal wife, it is understandable that Yu wanted the position of empress after Cao Rui ascended the throne. But the problem is that Cao Rui and Yu family are not familiar with each other at all now! Furthermore, the Wei State continued the Han system, and there was no saying in the Han Dynasty that the main wife would definitely be named empress. Cao Rui had just entered the bedroom, and you, Yu, flirted with him and asked for the position of empress? Establishing an empress is a very serious political issue! What's more, Cao Rui was determined to be a hedonistic emperor. Why would he create trouble for himself by appointing a queen early? Cao Rui coughed lightly and took half a step back. "This... the matter of appointing a queen is not urgent. I will discuss it after I report to the Queen Mother." A hint of anger appeared on Yu's pretty face. She snorted lightly, stood up and sat back in front of the dressing table. She was obviously waiting for Cao Rui to come and coax her. But from Cao Rui's perspective, it was like two people going on a blind date in later generations. The girl opposite was also very beautiful, but as soon as they sat down and ordered a cup of coffee, the girl asked you to add her name to the property certificate. Cao Rui suddenly felt a little bored. He turned around and walked towards the bed, and said to Concubine Yu without looking back.
"Princess Yu, please go out and find a place to sleep. I am tired and will go to bed first." Yu became more and more angry, and stood up and glared at Cao Rui. "Cao Rui, you forgot about me after becoming the emperor, didn't you?" "Are all the people in your Cao family so heartless?" "Shut up!" Cao Rui was also angry at this time. Both Cao Cao and Cao Pi have some dark histories in this regard. Cao Cao's original wife, Mrs. Ding, divorced Cao Cao and never saw him again. Cao Pi even executed Cao Rui's biological mother, Zhen. Yu was making indirect accusations, and as an emperor, Cao Rui could not tolerate this. "Come here, where are the guards?" The two guards on duty outside the bedroom pushed open the door and ran in, their armor making a metallic clashing sound. "Take Concubine Yu...Take Concubine Yu out and send her to her own palace!" "Here!" The two guards looked at each other and walked to Concubine Yu's side. Concubine Yu looked around and stared at Cao Rui with her almond-shaped eyes wide open: "Okay, Your Majesty, I can walk by myself, so you don't need to send anyone to escort me!" "I will go to the Queen Mother to seek justice tomorrow!" A moment later, with a bang, the door of the bedroom was slammed shut. The bedroom became quiet. "Oh." Cao Rui lay alone on the couch and sighed with a hint of sadness. Concubine Yu wants the position of Queen. This is a family matter and Cao Rui can handle it himself. As early as the third year of Huangchu, the former emperor Cao Pi issued an edict stating that "the involvement of husband and wife in politics is the root of chaos. The royal family's relatives are not allowed to assist in government affairs." In the current Cao Wei, the harem and relatives by marriage have no power at all and there is no need to worry about it.
However, there were many ministers in the outer court, and the previous emperor Cao Pi alone left behind four regents. Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu, two members of the royal family, commanded the troops all year round, and Sima Yi and Chen Qun were in charge of the government for many years. Not to mention the many meritorious old ministers who followed Cao Cao to start his business. Who is not selfish? Yu wanted to be the queen and she argued loudly with Cao Rui about it. Didn't other people have selfish motives? Didn't Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu want to have more military power? And Sima Yi, when did Sima Yi start wanting to usurp power? Thinking about it, Cao Rui couldn't fall asleep for a long time. In the days without air conditioning, the summer heat at night made people feel upset. …… At the same time, in Sima Yi's mansion. The candle in the study was still burning. The eldest son Sima Shi picked up the candle wick and looked at his father who was writing at his desk. Sima Shi smiled and said, "Father has been in the palace for several days before returning home. I haven't had the chance to congratulate him on his promotion to one of the regents." Sima Yi snorted coldly: "What is there to congratulate?" "When the late emperor was alive, Chen Qun and I jointly managed the Secretariat. How is this different from assisting the government?" "Although the late emperor appointed me as the general of the army before his death, my responsibilities and authority have not changed at all." Sima Yi dipped the brush in ink and continued writing on the bamboo slips. Sima Shi nodded: "What father said is very true. It seems that whether the late emperor is dead or alive makes no difference to our Sima family." Sima Yi paused with his pen tip, leaving a thick ink spot on the bamboo slip. "Ziyuan, shut up. You can't say disrespectful words even in a dark room. The late emperor was a dragon riding on a horse and entering heaven." "Yes, yes, Long Yubintian, my son knows his mistake." Sima Shi admitted his mistake, but his expression did not change at all. "Father, regents are usually appointed for young monarchs. But the emperor is already 23 years old, and there are still four regents. This kind of court situation has never happened before." Sima Yi put down his brush and looked at his 19-year-old eldest son. His sharp eyes were particularly bright under the candlelight. "Ziyuan, please analyze the current situation." Sima Shi was silent for a moment: "Before Emperor Wu of the Former Han Dynasty passed away, he appointed Huo Guang, Jin Midi, Shangguan Jie, and Sang Hongyang as regents. Jin Midi died early, and Huo Guang staged a coup and killed Shangguan Jie and Sang Hongyang. From then on, all state affairs were in the hands of Huo Guang." "The regents are also trying to seize power. Father has been in the Secretariat for a long time and has no military power. This is where the crisis lies." "But your Majesty is already 23 years old, old enough to rule the country. Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu are loyal to the late emperor, so they will not cause any trouble." Sima Yi nodded: "Ziyuan is right." "Both Western Shu and Eastern Wu are facing border threats, and there will be no major changes within Wei. Cao Zhen went to Yongliang, and Cao Xiu went to Xuzhou. The usefulness of these two people lies in the battlefield." "Chen Qun and I have been recording the affairs of the Shangshu for several years. In the short term, I am afraid that the court situation will not change much."
Sima Yi continued. "Ziyuan, your father always asks you to read history books." "Do you remember how Emperor Wen of Han first came to power?" Sima Shi inherited the academic gene of the Sima family. He has been knowledgeable and has a good memory since childhood, so this problem is not difficult for him. After briefly sorting out his thoughts in his mind, Sima Shi cleared his throat and said, "Before Emperor Wen of Han ascended the throne, he was a vassal king in Dai State. After Zhou Bo and other generals killed the Lü clan, they welcomed Emperor Wen of Han to Chang'an." "On the night Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he appointed his trusted confidant Song Chang as the General of the Guards and Zhang Wu as the Imperial Clerk, giving them control over the military power inside and outside the palace." "For military commanders like Zhou Bo, he first rewarded them according to their merits, and then sent them back to their respective fiefdoms. From then on, Emperor Wen took control of the power." "Why did father ask about Emperor Wen of Han?" Sima Shi looked at his father. The flickering candlelight made Sima Yi's face flicker. Sima Yi took a deep breath and said, "Liu Ye was summoned by His Majesty in the afternoon. We talked for half a day. Chen Qun and I stopped Liu Ye at the Shangshutai." "According to Liu Ye, the current emperor is very similar to Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty." Sima Shi was surprised: "Is Liu Ye saying that Your Majesty wants to seize power personally?" Sima Yi snorted lightly: "Liu Ziyang said nothing, he is as slippery as a loach. Let's see how Your Majesty governs at the court meeting tomorrow." Sima Shi laughed and said, "It's better to be like Emperor Wen of Han than Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling. My father is not Huo Guang." Having said this, Sima Shi paused for a moment and then continued. "My son heard these days that there is a rumor in Luozhong that Taoist Zhu Jianping told the late emperor's fortune." Sima Yi raised an eyebrow and looked at his son. "I have been in the palace these days and have not paid attention to the affairs of the outer court. Please tell me in detail." Sima Shi continued. "It is rumored in Luozhong that when the late emperor was still the General of the Five Officials, he invited the fortune teller Zhu Jianping to read the faces of the people at a banquet." "The late emperor asked about his life span, and Zhu Jianping said that the late emperor would live to be eighty, but would have a minor disaster at the age of forty." "Rumor has it that it was the late emperor who angered the gods by replacing the Han with the Wei, which caused the minor disaster to turn into a major one. Some even say that the Zhen family came to claim our lives..." Sima Yi frowned and said, "Alright! Don't mention this kind of treasonous talk to anyone again." Sima Shi felt a little aggrieved after being taught a lesson by his father: "Father, I didn't say that. It was the late emperor who died young!" Sima Yi got angry and slammed the table heavily: "Ziyuan, where is the moral character I asked you to cultivate every day? Don't you know that disaster comes from the mouth?" "You are not allowed to leave the house this month. You must reflect on your behavior." Seeing that his father was really angry, Sima Shi quickly stood up and bowed to say goodbye: "My son knows his mistake. Father, go to bed early and don't stay up too late." Sima Yi waved his hand, and Sima Shi walked out of the house quietly and closed the door. Sima Yi was the only one left, staring blankly at the candlelight in front of the desk, not knowing what he was thinking about.
Two chapters are updated every day. Please add it to your collection. Thank you very much~ (End of this chapter)