Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

In addition to Zhen Xiang delivering the news, Zhuge Ke also personally entered the palace to pay his respects to the emperor and brought him some good news.

As Cao Rui had said before, Sun Tai, the garrison commander of Stone City, was not a promising general. He remained in the city like a stubborn rock, unresponsive to the outside world, seemingly astonished by the situation and unsure of what to do. Faced with the imperial edict personally written by Zhuge Ke and stamped with the emperor's seal, along with the letters that accompanied it, Sun Tai quickly wavered.

Among the sons and nephews of Sun Quan, Zhuge Ke was undoubtedly the most outstanding. The son of the Grand General, he was intelligent from a young age and became a prefect in his thirties. Sun Tai's status as a member of the imperial clan paled in comparison to Zhuge Ke's; for many years, Sun Tai had been inferior to Zhuge Ke.

After being persuaded by Zhuge Ke and struggling with his conscience for half a day, Sun Tai finally agreed to surrender the city. Having received the emperor's promise, Zhuge Ke did not lie to Sun Tai. He ordered Sun Tai to lead more than twenty trusted men on a boat up the river, and then invited Cheng Xi, the Right Feathered Forest General guarding outside Stone City, to send troops inside to take over the defense.

Zhuge Ke's original subordinates had long been placed under surveillance, so he had no chance to command them. In other words, Zhuge Ke was a general without troops, a fact he accepted.

Upon hearing this, Cao Rui did not react much, but simply nodded slightly: "Yuan Xun did well, I will record this merit for you."

"This is my duty, how dare I claim credit?" Zhuge Ke bowed respectfully.

Looking at Zhuge Ke's face, Cao Rui said softly, "The letter you sent to your father should arrive in a few days. Tomorrow I will send an envoy to Jiangling to see Man Zhengnan, and Yuanxun should go with him. When you arrive in Jiangling, please give your father some advice."

"Your Majesty..." Zhuge Ke's mind raced, then he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I can write a letter to my father. I wish to serve Your Majesty. Danyang and Kuaiji have not yet been pacified. I can serve Your Majesty and make contributions!"

“Going to Jiangling is also a meritorious act,” Cao Rui said casually. “You wrote to your father before but didn’t offer any reward, and the court has remained silent. Today, I discussed this matter with several close ministers outside Jiangning City, and I will now give your father an explanation.”

"The title of Prince of Langya is granted to a commandery, similar to the feudal system of the Han Dynasty, and the title is hereditary without any reduction in rank. Yuanxun, that means your father can be officially granted the title of Prince of Langya, and after your father passes away, you, as the eldest son, can continue to be the Prince of Langya."

"How is it?" Cao Rui's lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at Zhuge Ke: "Yuan Xun is one of the smartest men in Yangzhou. This is what the Prince of Yongqiu told me, so I won't mince words with you. The Prince of Yongqiu is the Emperor's uncle, yet he was only granted a county. I'm offering the entire Langya Commandery to buy your father's 50,000 soldiers. Is that a generous price?"

Zhuge Ke, kneeling on the ground, immediately opened his eyes wide. Hearing the emperor's words, his body trembled slightly uncontrollably. Although Zhuge Ke often boasted of his wisdom and courage, and after becoming a Wei subject, he frequently showed off his achievements to Gu Yong and others, what was the emperor talking about today? A royal title! A royal title bestowed upon an entire prefecture!

The oath made by the Emperor of Wei at the Luo River was known to all the people of Wu and Shu. Even the greatest merit only earned him a fiefdom of a single prefecture. If his father could gain the same rank by surrendering Jiangling and those 50,000 troops, this…this…the Great Wei is truly so magnanimous!!

"Yuan Xun?" Cao Rui said again, as if reminding him, "Yuan Xun, did you not hear me?"

Visibly, Zhuge Ke trembled. Before he could think any further, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead striking the blue bricks of Chang Le Palace without feeling the slightest pain. A royal title! This was a royal title! A county prince!

"Your Majesty, I have heard your words. My father and I are both of humble origins, and our ancestors were of lowly birth. How dare we accept such a reward from the court? After I receive the decree and go to Jiangling, I will do my utmost to persuade my father not to accept even the slightest reward from the court! The Great Wei is so benevolent, and we should do our utmost to serve the Great Wei!"

Cao Rui stared at Zhuge Ke's hair ornament for a long time: "I have never broken my promise of rewards. Between you and me, there is only the question of acceptance or rejection, not rewards." Zhuge Ke kowtowed again: "Your subject obeys! I will certainly persuade my father to submit to the Great Wei!"

"Alright, Yuanxun, rise. We'll leave tomorrow," Cao Rui said. "Before you depart, Attendant Pei will give you the written imperial edict and the tortoise-shaped gold seal of the Prince of Langya. Take them with you to Jiangling."

"Yuan Xun, do not disappoint me!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zhuge Ke kowtowed repeatedly, then rose and walked away in small steps.

As soon as he stepped out of the main hall, Zhuge Ke looked up at the night sky, forcibly suppressing the urge to roar and jump, his steps even becoming a little unsteady, and strode towards the palace gates.

“Your Majesty,” Pei Qian said softly from the side, “King Yongqiu said that this man is very similar to Yang Dezu, and I have seen him today, and it is indeed so.”

Cao Rui shook his head: "I, the Prince of the County, am here to buy Zhuge Jin. I will set a price, and if he is willing to sell, then the deal will be done."

Xu Shu interjected, "According to the system of the Han Dynasty, the vassal kings each went to their own kingdoms and were subject to the control of the imperial court. The imperial court appointed officials with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain) as prime ministers and royal tutors. The prime ministers, like the prefects, governed the kingdoms, while the royal tutors were appointed by the emperor to regulate the conduct of the vassal kings."

"Your Majesty, it seems that Zhuge Ke has not yet distinguished between the royal titles of the Han Dynasty and those of the Great Wei Dynasty."

Wang Su chuckled and said, “During the Han Dynasty, the princes were confined to their fiefdoms and could not leave without cause, much like prisoners. The only enticing thing about them was the title itself. During the Huangchu era, the princes were even more closely monitored. It wasn't until the Taihe era that they were released. The princes could enter the court to serve as officials, leaving their fiefdoms for court officials to appoint. They could live in Luoyang as idle princes, or they could serve as court officials like the Prince of Yongqiu and receive an additional princely salary. Although it was called a real fiefdom, it had long lost its meaning.”

"Your Majesty, I would like to take this opportunity to ask Your Majesty's attitude towards post-war rewards." Wang Su bowed to the emperor and asked, "Your Majesty swore an oath on the banks of the Luo River in the seventh year of Huangchu (1468) to bestow a kingship upon him after the conquest of Wu. How do you intend to bestow such a title? Do you intend to grant a real title according to the Han system, or to grant a title as in the Taihe era, or do you have other ideas?"

Cao Rui took a deep breath, looked around, and said, "It shall be officially sealed!"

Wang Su was startled. He had thought that he would be like Cao Zhi and other feudal lords, with a fiefdom and a salary, but he could still serve as an official in the court. However, he did not expect that it was a real fiefdom!
Wang Su then asked, "Does Your Majesty intend to implement the Han dynasty system of granting fiefdoms?"

Cao Rui looked at Wang Su and slowly said, "Naturally, we should follow the system of the Han Dynasty. The court should send the Chancellor and the Imperial Tutor to assist in governing the country. However, the specific methods are different from those of the Han Dynasty. I have been thinking about how to do it for many years, but I have not yet decided. I will explain it to you after we have destroyed Wu."

"Yes." Wang Su bowed his head. (End of Chapter)