Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Perhaps because she learned that the emperor had taken Xiao Hu as a concubine, Consort Mao proposed to take another concubine into the harem.

Sun Luban wanted both sisters to secure the emperor's favor, while Consort Mao thought that since she couldn't have the emperor's exclusive favor, she could continuously bring new women into the palace to muddy the waters, thus making her, the highest-ranking person in the palace, more secure in her position.

That evening, while Cao Rui was having dinner with Da Hu, Xiao Hu, and Bu Lianshi, Sun Luban took the opportunity to deliver the letter during their conversation. When she arrived in Ruxu that afternoon, Cao Rui was still discussing military affairs with his ministers and did not come to see her immediately.

Consort Mao was indeed fond of literature; her handwriting in the letter even possessed a delicate and graceful quality, reminiscent of Han dynasty clerical script. Cao Rui had previously instructed the women of the harem to read, and Consort Mao and Lady Yang were among those who read quite well, able to appreciate poetry and prose with Cao Rui and understand the subtle yet moving imagery in the text. Sun Luban, however, was clearly a step below.

But Cao Rui didn't blame her, after all, her face was still as beautiful as ever, and she had even become more voluptuous in recent years.

"That's not necessary." Cao Rui shook his head with a smile after reading the letter, then picked it up and waved it at Da Hu: "Do you know what this letter says?"

“My sister and I have discussed this,” Sun Luban nodded.

Cao Rui laughed and said, "Go back and tell her not to worry about this, and that she doesn't need to search for concubines for me. If I am interested, I will find them myself."

"Furthermore," Cao Rui looked up at Bu Lianshi, "I have a question for Lady Bu."

Bu Lianshi stood up and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, please speak."

Cao Rui said, “The women in my palace are treated differently. For Mao and Guo, I have ordered that each of their clans select young men to study at the Imperial Academy, or have granted them several official positions through hereditary privilege. I don’t need to say much about the Sun family, as it is impossible. However, Lady Bu comes from the Bu family of Huaiyin, so she can be considered as an outsider to the family of the Big Tiger and Little Tiger.”

"The Bu family mostly resides in Wu County. I wonder how many members of the clan still exist? You may recommend virtuous and capable people to me for official positions, and the intelligent members of the clan may be admitted to the Imperial Academy."

Bu Lianshi thought for a few moments, then cupped her hands and said:

"Your Majesty, my clan came from the north at the end of the Han Dynasty. Besides our main family, there are two other branches, one of which is the Bu Zhi Bu Zishan family, which consists of about thirty or forty people, men, women, and children. When we left Jian... we left Jiangning in haste and were unaware of the details of our clan."

Cao Rui feigned ignorance, saying, "Oh? Bu Zhi is your clansman? I remember he was a General of Chariots and Cavalry in Wu, right? You two are from the same clan?"

"Yes." Bu Lianshi nodded slightly.

"Please sit down, we're family, no need for formalities." Cao Rui waved his hand, then glanced at Sun Luban a few times. Sun Luban's pretty eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled and agreed.

Sun Luban had been Cao Rui's concubine for many years and had two children. In the palace, they knew each other's needs with just a glance, so they had a good understanding of each other. After dinner, Sun Luban went with her mother and sister to have a private chat, and also had a long, subtle conversation with Bu Lianshi.

Bu Lianshi initially understood her reluctance, but after Sun Luban pleaded with her for two hours, she felt sorry for her husband and worried that her two daughters would be neglected by the emperor. She struggled internally and cried for a long time, with Da Hu and Xiao Hu comforting her. After midnight, she finally wrote a letter of persuasion to her cousin Bu Zhi with swollen eyes.

Such matters should only be discussed after the eldest daughter, Da Hu, and the younger daughter, Xiao Hu, have settled down and arrived in Jiangbei, and everything has come to a complete stop. Da Hu had long understood the fate of the Sun family, and Xiao Hu was extremely rebellious and disliked her family. But Bu Lianshi was different. If Cao Rui had forced Bu Lianshi to write a letter to persuade her to surrender while she was still in Jiangning, Bu Lianshi would probably have had no choice but to slit her own throat on the spot. It would have been as if he were forcing her to die.

Unbeknownst to these people, just as Da Hu and Xiao Hu were urging their mother to write a letter, a report of victory from Guanqiu Jian in Dantu arrived on Cao Rui's desk.

The three attendants, Pei, Xu, and Lu, along with Huang Quan and Liu Ye, sat on either side of the hall.

Cao Rui did not immediately mention the battle at Dantu. Instead, with a slightly bitter expression, he addressed the group:

"You may not know, but I also received a letter from Lord Dong from Shouchun today. When I was in Shouchun, I watched Lord Dong's health decline day by day. In the past few months, military affairs have been too busy. With Minister Liu gone, there are even more military affairs to attend to, so Lord Dong has to do everything himself."

"Dong Gong wrote to me saying that his eyesight has been getting increasingly blurry lately. With so many things to do, it is not a long-term solution to have his subordinates read things to him. He also has to personally approve and stamp his documents, which makes it impossible for him to verify the information. Moreover, he often forgets what was written before after hearing the later parts of the document. Dong Gong wrote to me to apologize, saying that he is really old and frail and can no longer shoulder heavy responsibilities. He asked me to select someone to go to Shouchun to take over his duties. He said that he has not yet reached the end of his life and can help me take care of the situation in Shouchun, but he is no longer able to do the detailed work."

Cao Rui sighed deeply: "The affairs of the state are troublesome. The court's military campaigns not only consume military supplies and provisions, but also drain the energy of my trusted ministers."

"Minister Pei, I see that your hair is turning whiter and whiter, Minister Xu's temples are also turning whiter, and Minister Liu's health is not good... This year, Minister Xin passed away first, and Minister Dong is unable to manage affairs. The war of the whole country is really too exhausting!"

"Your Majesty, I am still able to fight for you for another ten years!" Pei Qian was the first to stand up, indicating that he was in good health.

Xu Shu remained quite calm, while Liu Ye, after a moment's hesitation, also stood up and cupped his hands to indicate that he had no problem whatsoever...

"Please sit down." Cao Rui waved his hand with a smile. "I won't ask you any more questions. Minister Liu, I want to keep you by my side to oversee military affairs. I can't let you go. Then I'll have to trouble Minister Xu to return to Shouchun."

"I have an inescapable duty!" Xu Shu remained courageous and took on his responsibilities immediately.

Cao Rui said calmly, "I hereby appoint you as the Acting Deputy Privy Councilor, while retaining your positions as Grand Secretary and Attendant-in-Ordinary. I will be setting off for Chaisang tomorrow morning. Consort Sun will be returning to Shouchun by boat, so Minister Xu may also return with me."

"By the way, after you return, Xu Qing, please pass on a message to Lord Dong and the Minister of Works for me: the success of taking Yangzhou this time is not only related to the soldiers on the front lines, but I also remember their contributions."

"Minister Pei, I have something to say. Please write it down. I hereby appoint Dong Zhou, the son of Dong Gong, as the Prefect of Runan, and transfer Sima Zhao, the second son of the Minister of Works, from Ye City to Dantu County in Wu Commandery as the County Magistrate. This is my reward to the two of them."

Pei Qian cupped his hands in greeting: "Your subject has remembered."

Cao Rui nodded slightly: "Since we're talking about Dantu, Zhong Gong's messenger arrived here an hour ago. Dantu has been completely captured. I have ordered him to continue south to stabilize the situation and lead his troops into Kuaiji Commandery, as previously requested by the court."

"Tomorrow, I will lead the Right Guard of the Imperial Guard to Chaisang. The Grand General and Lu Boyan have been waiting for me there for quite some time." (End of Chapter)