Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Cao Rui stopped laughing.

His previously relaxed posture behind the desk quickly tensed up. His fingers, holding the letter, even trembled slightly. Pei Qian, sitting on the left side of the hall, was also startled and stood up, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at Wang Hun, who was bowing down, and then at the emperor behind the desk.

Cao Rui took a deep breath, stood up, clenched his right fist, and asked in a deep voice, "Which Lord Xin? Wang Hun, explain yourself clearly."

Pei Qian also turned his head and stared intently at Wang Hun.

Wang Hun prostrated himself on the ground, without raising his head, and replied, "Your Majesty, Minister Xin passed away in Xiangyang nine days ago. After the news of his death reached Shouchun, Minister Dong and Minister of Works immediately sent messengers to Xiangyang to temporarily appoint Prefect Chen Tai and Prefect Chen Xuanbo of Xiangyang to take charge of Minister Xin's affairs. They also sent me to report this matter to Your Majesty."

Cao Rui remained silent for a few moments before asking, "What caused Minister Xin's death? Did he leave any last words? Why has the court not received any reports of Minister Xin's poor health?"

Wang Hun replied: "The messenger said that Lord Xin fell ill and died suddenly in the Xiangyang government office. From the time he fell ill to his death, it was only half an hour. There were no warning signs and no last words. Prefect Chen of Xiangyang sent messengers to both Man Zhengnan in Jiangling and Shouchun to send letters. The details have been written in the letters by the Minister of Works. The letters contain the signatures and seals of both the Grand Commandant and the Minister of Works."

"I understand." Cao Rui took a deep breath and waved his hand: "Wang Hun, you may go and wait outside."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Wang Hun rose from the ground, bowed, and retreated in small steps.

Pei Qian gritted his teeth, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty..."

"You get out too." Cao Rui put one hand to his forehead and waved his right hand outwards. "Go quickly, let me have some peace and quiet."

"As you command." Pei Qian had no choice but to retreat like Wang Hun.

Cao Rui covered his face with his hand and leaned back in his chair in silence for a long time.

With the emperor in his prime and the high-ranking officials all advanced in years, the sudden death of such an important minister was not uncommon. Although Cao Rui had felt sorrow when Hua Xin, Wang Lang, Cao Xiu, Cao Hong, and others died before, he had never felt such intense grief.

Even emperors are human, and naturally, they have their own degrees of closeness and distance. Xin Pi, who had served as a court attendant for many years, was undoubtedly among the closest to Cao Rui. As a court attendant for many years, Xin Pi offered advice and regulated conduct within the palace, while outside the palace, he oversaw logistics and ensured sufficient food and clothing.

In the second year of the Taihe era, when the Shu Kingdom was attacked, Xin Pi was stationed in Chang'an.

In the fourth year of the Taihe era, when the campaign against Liaodong was launched, Xin Pi was stationed in Youzhou.

It can be said that Cao Rui used Xin Pi almost as Wei Zhen. Over the years, Xin Pi worked diligently and cautiously, first as a court attendant, then as one of the Nine Ministers, and later as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. It can be said that he was highly valued.

The fact that Xin Pi, who held the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, was appointed General of the Wei Army, granted the authority to act on behalf of the emperor, and appointed Governor of Jingzhou, overseeing the armies of Jiangling and Jiangxia, demonstrates the utmost trust placed in him.

Cao Rui had previously considered that after this campaign against Wu, the upper limit of the nobility for officials would be the title of king, and Xin Pi's many years of merit should be rewarded with the title of duke.

But why did Xinpi die like this? Did he die suddenly from an illness, without leaving any last words? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Xinpi died from overwork!

Things in this world are often too unpredictable. Xin Pi, a high-ranking official of the state, was truly like a brother to him; this was no exaggeration. Cao Rui sat alone in the hall for half an hour, but still couldn't open the letter. Faced with the news of the death of a trusted minister, the best way to deal with it was to let time pass and process it slowly.

As Cao Rui walked out of the hall, he found Pei Qian, Xu Shu, Wang Su, and Lu Yu—the four Grand Secretaries—along with Huang Quan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Liu Ye, the Deputy Chief of the Privy Council—a total of six people already waiting in front of the hall. These six were the people who truly assisted the emperor in making decisions at this moment. Cao Rui looked around, his voice slightly hoarse:

"Do you know everything?"

"Yes." Pei Qian could see the sorrow on Cao Rui's face and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences."

Cao Rui said, "Send Xin Pu She's son, Xin Chang, who is serving in the Court of State Ceremonial, to Xiangyang immediately to assist in the funeral procession. Also, send Wei Dan, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, and Xin Chang together to Xiangyang to escort Xin Pu She's coffin back to Luoyang. Since the country is at war, the funeral should be kept simple. Minister Xin died for the country. His posthumous title and honors will be determined after the war against Wu is over. I will personally go to Luoyang to pay my respects and hold a make-up funeral after I return."

"Oh, right, come here." Cao Rui beckoned to Pei Qian: "Give this jade pendant from my waist to Xin Chang, and tell him not to doubt me. It's not that I don't want to honor Minister Xin, but the war is indeed very complicated..."

As Cao Rui spoke, his nose began to sting slightly. He took another deep breath, but could not hide the sorrow in his heart. He raised his sleeve to cover his face and wiped away a few tears from the corners of his eyes.

Pei Qian carefully took the jade pendant and then said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to take heed of your grief..."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Please accept my condolences. If I could truly accept it, would I need you to advise me?" Cao Rui sighed. "Chen Tai is now acting as Minister Xin's deputy. Although he is reliable, he is not a high-ranking official. Xiangyang cannot be without someone in charge of logistics. I will send someone from my side to Xiangyang to oversee the situation."

"Lu Qing." Cao Rui looked at Lu Yu.

"Your subject is here." Lu Yu took half a step forward and bowed.

Cao Rui said, "Jingzhou has many affairs to attend to. General Man's 60,000 troops rely on Xiangyang for logistics and transportation. Only a person of great talent can be entrusted with this task. Minister Huang and Privy Councilor Liu each have their own responsibilities, and Minister Pei is getting old. Today, I will send Minister Lu to Xiangyang to take over Minister Xin's position. Is Minister Lu willing?"

"When the nation is in trouble, and the Emperor commands, I have no choice but to obey!" Lu Yu immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty has ordered me to go to Xiangyang. I request to depart immediately. I am skilled in horsemanship and can change horses day and night to travel at full speed. I can assure Your Majesty that I will arrive in Xiangyang in eight days!"

"Don't overwork yourself." Cao Rui sighed. "I have no time to say anything more to you now. It's just about overseeing logistics. You'll know what to do when you get to Xiangyang."

"Minister Wang," Cao Rui said, looking at Wang Su, "draft an edict to appoint Lu Yu and Lu Zijia, the Grand Secretary and Minister of the Palace Secretariat, as Governor of Jingzhou, with imperial insignia, to oversee military and political affairs in Jingzhou, as well as the logistics and provisions of the armies in Jiangling and Jiangxia."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have noted it down," Wang Su replied.

After speaking, Cao Rui didn't look at anyone else. He walked straight to Lu Yu, patted Lu Yu on the shoulder, then turned around and walked back into the hall alone. Pei Qian, Xu Shu, Wang Su, Huang Quan, and the others exchanged glances, shook their heads and sighed. After bowing to the emperor in the courtyard, they turned and went outside to discuss their matters in front of the gate.

After this personnel change, there are still many political, personnel, and military preparations to be made. Speaking of Xinpi, everyone felt only regret.

Pei Qian, in particular, never expected that His Majesty would think he was too old! (End of Chapter)