Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Although Le Chen was promoted to General of the Warships and became one of the many generals of the Great Wei Dynasty, he and the emperor remained quite unfamiliar with each other in terms of personal relationships.

Whether it's the four cabinet ministers of today, or the previous Dong Zhao, Cao Zhen, Sima Yi, Xin Pi, or Liu Ye, Huang Quan, they all have a certain understanding of Cao Rui's personality. They can accompany the emperor for drinks and occasionally crack a few jokes to amuse him.

They knew when the emperor needed to be serious and when he needed to relax. Unlike those emperors who were merely clay or wooden sculptures, Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui, the three rulers of the Cao family, were all living, breathing people with very clear likes, dislikes, and anger.

Cola Lin doesn't know that much.

Upon hearing Cao Rui's question, Yue Chen paused for a moment before tentatively pointing to the fishing rod and asking, "Your Majesty, are you referring to fishing?"

Cao Rui chuckled: "Why are you so nervous, Yue Qing?"

Le Chen hesitated for a moment before replying, "I don't know how to answer. As for fishing, I have done some fishing, but I am not an expert."

Cao Rui chuckled a few times: "I don't mean much by saying that. I just want to tell you that, in my opinion, fishing is about three things."

"First, choose a good fishing spot."

"Secondly, place the bait properly."

Finally, just wait for the fish to take the bait.

Le Chen was somewhat bewildered: "I don't quite understand."

Cao Rui said, "I am here now to use my own name as bait to lure Sun Quan into taking the bait."

Guanqiu Jian saw that the emperor seemed to be discussing strategic matters with Yue Lin. Seeing that Yue Lin did not understand, he immediately explained, "General Yue may not know. The reason Your Majesty has mobilized troops this time is twofold: first, to occupy Guangling and select a base for the navy; second, to draw Sun Quan's attention here. After the New Year, Man Zheng Nan's 60,000 troops will depart from Xiangfan, Xiahou Ping Nan's 20,000 troops will depart from Jiangxia, and Huan Zhen Bei's 25,000 troops will depart from Wancheng."

"The court had previously discussed that more than 100,000 troops were advancing in three routes upstream of Jianye. Wu was very likely to believe that Wei was just bluffing in Yangzhou, so Sun Quan might make a mess of his military operations."

"Your subject understands." Yue Lin bowed and thanked him: "Thank you for your guidance, General Guanqiu. Sun Quan has always been short-sighted, and I believe that the court's strategy will surely be effective."

Le Lin was very methodical, and Cao Rui felt there was no point in talking to him. Since the strategic intentions had been made clear, there was no need for idle chatter. He shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about this. Le Qing came from Zhongdu. What are the water conditions there? Since we're all stopped at Zhuyugou, can the large ships still make it?"

Le Lin bowed and replied, “Your Majesty, after I led the fleet from Huaiyin, we sailed south through Mokou to Zhongdu River, passing Sheyang Lake, Baima Lake, Jin Lake, Fanliang Lake, and Zhuyugou to Guangling. In my view, everything south of Fanliang Lake is unobstructed, and the section from Mokou to Sheyang Lake is also unobstructed. However, Baima Lake, Jin Lake, and the surrounding areas are not suitable for large ships.”

Cao Rui raised an eyebrow: "So it still won't work?"

"Yes," Le Lin replied. "I have communicated with the officials along the way about this matter, and they suggested that I lead the ships back before mid-November, otherwise by the end of November, the water will be so shallow that even warships will have difficulty passing through."

Cao Rui nodded: "This is the beauty of the landscape! When things come to a head, the only option left is to travel by sea."

"In that case, stay here for five days, lead your generals ashore to familiarize themselves with the terrain around Guangling, and then lead your army back."

"Your subject obeys the decree," Yue Lin replied.

Meanwhile, in Shouchun City, the four cabinet ministers were also embroiled in a troublesome matter.

"The Court of Justice's opinion on the investigation of Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba is out. I just got this document from Xu Miao of the Ministry of Justice." Pei Qian walked in from outside and waved it at the three people in the duty room.

"Oh?" Xu Shu, Wang Su, and Lu Yu all looked up at Pei Qian at the same time.

Xu Shu asked, "What did the Court of Justice and the Imperial Secretariat say?"

"What do you mean?" Pei Qian snorted coldly: "Gao Tingwei sent his opinion to the Ministry of Justice ten days ago! The Ministry of Justice received the document from Tingwei and sent it directly to His Majesty without even sending it to the Grand Secretariat."

Xu Shu's expression also darkened: "Xu Jingshan (Xu Miao, Minister of Justice)? Was it his own incompetence, or Huang Gongheng's idea?" The smiles on Wang Su and Lu Yu's faces also vanished simultaneously. Lu Yu remained silent, but Wang Su spoke up: "Huang Gongheng is known for his iron face. Although the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Justice are under his jurisdiction, he shouldn't have been consulted about Xu Jingshan's matter. In my opinion, it seems more like the style of the Minister of Works."

Logically speaking, such matters of the court should be sent to the cabinet, which would then communicate with the emperor.

Since the change of cabinets, a year has passed, and the originally harmonious relationship between the cabinet and the Secretariat and the Privy Council has gradually become tense. Everyone has a desire for power, and once this begins, it will only intensify.

With the campaign against Wu imminent, internal and external affairs were piling up, and disagreements were widening. Even brothers would have differing opinions.

The Secretariat complained that the Grand Secretariat's advice to the Emperor was inappropriate, while the Grand Secretariat, for various reasons, gave different comments than the Secretariat, leaving the decision to the Emperor.

Pei Qian nodded and said, "Besides Sikong, who else could it be?"

"The Court of Justice suggested that Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba had committed a crime of losing territory and should be demoted to commoners. However, considering that Sima Fu had previously rendered meritorious service to the court, that the Xiahou clan was considered relatives, and that Tian Guorang had already found the captured people, their crimes should be reduced to demotion. The Court of Justice concluded that Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba should be demoted to the rank of 600 shi and remain in Luoyang awaiting their new post."

"How can this be allowed!" Xu Shu immediately stood up from his seat: "We have lost a city, and the border is in danger. How can we handle this so carelessly! If this sets a precedent, who will care about border affairs in the future? If nothing goes wrong, we'll be lucky. If something does go wrong, at worst we'll be demoted from a 2,000-stone official to a county magistrate, but we won't lose our heads!"

Wang Su suddenly realized something: "Brother Wenxing, didn't you just say that the Ministry of Justice sent this letter to His Majesty, and then His Majesty sent it back? How did it end up in your hands?"

Pei Qian snorted coldly: "No one is more sagacious and wise than His Majesty. His Majesty has returned this document to the Ministry of Justice, instructing them to forward it to the Grand Secretariat for discussion, and then report back to His Majesty!"

Wang Su stroked his beard and nodded: "A nation must have systems in place. How can it function without systems?"

Xu Shu then said from the side, "Even I think the punishment for the two is too lenient. It was His Majesty who proposed the crime, so how could His Majesty be willing to let this matter pass so easily?"

Wang Su looked at Xu Shu and said, “Brother Yuanzhi, you are mistaken. This is a matter of state. How can we say whether His Majesty is willing or not, and judge it according to the law? The crime judged by the Court of Justice is too lenient. We should correct the error.”

“Indeed!” Pei Qian nodded in agreement. “It is time to correct the error. After we have corrected it, we will send the document to Guangling and await His Majesty’s permission.”

Clearly, Gao Rou and Xu Miao's attempt to bypass the cabinet and report directly to His Majesty angered the four cabinet ministers. As subjects, they should be loyal to their duties, yet the cabinet, with its immense power, was denied this opportunity by the Court of Justice and the Secretariat.

What is this if not a provocation?
From a moral standpoint, in order to uphold the authority of the cabinet, all four should be severely punished.

Logically, since the emperor returned the Ministry of Justice's documents to the cabinet, the cabinet ministers should seriously investigate the crimes.

Xu Shu said, “I have something to say. The Court of Justice said that Sima Fu had rendered meritorious service to the late emperor, and Xiahou Ba is the son of Xiahou Yuan. However, their influence in Liangzhou is extremely bad. This identity can only protect them from being severely punished, but their crimes should not be reduced!”

"I second that opinion," Pei Qian said. "They should be punished seriously and not let off lightly."

As Xu Shu and Pei Qian both turned their gazes toward Wang Su, Pei Qian asked, "Zi Yong is most knowledgeable about criminal law. Should these two be demoted to commoners or exiled?"

Wang Su thought for a few moments, then said firmly, "The river should flow for three thousand miles! The nation is about to go to war; such behavior must not be tolerated."

Lu Yu chuckled from the side, "These two have returned from Liangzhou. Three thousand miles away, it's either Liangzhou or Liaodong. If they're to be exiled, they'll probably be sent to Xiangping."

Pei Qian chuckled lightly: "Xiangping? That depends on how you calculate three thousand li. If it's a straight-line distance on a map, Xiangping is less than three thousand li; it's Xuantu County to the north of Xiangping that's three thousand li!"

“Xuantu…” Xu Shu thought for a moment, “Let’s send one person to Xuantu County and the other to Lelang County.”

“Excellent,” Wang Su said. “However, the cabinet should also make it clear in the documents that exile is a measure to learn from past mistakes and cure the disease. The exile of Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba today is to serve as a warning to more officials in the future. The two of them need to constantly repent and learn from their mistakes while they are there, and not to go astray.”

Pei Qian nodded: "I will write it down. Later, we cabinet ministers will sign it together and then send it to His Majesty."

"Alright!" the three responded. (End of Chapter)