Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

"Greetings, Minister of Works."

"Your subordinate pays respects to the Minister of Works."

Sima Yi arrived at Parrot Island by boat from Queyue City. As soon as he disembarked, the busy officials near the dock greeted him with bows. Sima Yi, who was always silent and solemn, merely nodded slightly and walked towards the multi-storied ship at the southernmost end of the dock.

"Greetings, Minister of Works." Sima Shi was startled to see his father arrive in person and quickly bowed.

"No need," Sima Yi said in a deep voice. "Come with me to the cabin."

"Yes." Although Sima Shi didn't know why, he still nodded in agreement.

After the two entered the cabin one after the other and sat down, Sima Shi finally spoke: "Why did Father come all the way from Queyue City to here? Is it because you are worried about your son escorting the grain this time?"

Sima Yi shook his head slightly: "What's there to worry about in escorting grain? The river is calm now, and Lu Xun's fleet has already arrived at Baqiu. You're just picking up credit for yourself this time. It wouldn't matter who gets this kind of job. Since I currently hold the highest official position in Wuhan, His Majesty won't say anything if I let you earn some military merit by escorting grain."

"Yes," Sima Shi replied. "Besides the provisions, is there anything else that requires Father's personal visit to Parrot Island? Didn't I just see Father last night?"

Sima Yi said, "Of course I have something to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi took out a document from his bosom and handed it to Sima Shi.

Sima Shi was taken aback, but did not take it immediately, a hint of doubt on his face: "Father, what is this...?"

"Here you go," Sima Yi said in a deep voice, "This is a letter of recommendation I wrote for you. After you have delivered the military supplies to the army, report to Minister Huang and have him deliver this letter to His Majesty."

Sima Shi took the letter, but was at a loss for words: "This... Father has always encouraged his son to accumulate merits and be appointed to official positions, so why is he suddenly asking His Majesty to find an official position for his son today?"

Sima Yi sighed softly: "After you left the mansion yesterday, I summoned Xu Baojian to the mansion at night and had a long talk with him."

"Minister Xu of the Ministry of Rites?" Sima Shi interjected.

"Hmm." Sima Yi stroked his beard. "Xu Baojian and I went over the matter of the conferment of titles that happened more than ten days ago. As the Minister of Rites, he handled many things. He was more meticulous than I was thinking. I was inspired by Xu Baojian's words, so I wrote a letter of remonstrance and sent it to you last night."

Sima Shi was even more puzzled: "What do you mean by that? In my opinion, one of the three people who were granted the title of king should be your father! You have been in charge of the Secretariat for so many years, handling all the affairs of the country. How could your merits be less than those of Lu Boyan?"

“That’s not how it works.” Sima Yi shook his head: “Of the three people who were granted the title of king, Cao Zidan was a member of the imperial clan, Lu Boyan was a relative of the empress, and Dong Gongren was a veteran official. The three people were granted the title in three different ways, making it difficult to insert another one. My father is the head of the ten dukes, which, although not as high as the title of king, is still the greatest honor.”

"Xu Baojian said that this conferment of titles was not based on accumulated merits, but on military achievements. My father, Huang Gongheng, Xin Zuozhi, and Jiang Zitong were credited for their military achievements in maintaining logistics; Man Boning and Guanqiu Zhonggong were credited for their military achievements in commanding troops; Pei Wenxing, Xu Yuanzhi, and Liu Ziyang were credited for their military achievements in planning; and Wei Gongzhen was credited for his military achievements in stabilizing the rear."

Sima Shi's face showed slight displeasure: "Guanqiu Jian is just a favored official. How can he be ranked alongside my father and other ministers? If it weren't for His Majesty's promotion, where would he have become a general and achieved military merit?"

“Ziyuan is right.” Sima Yi nodded: “The conferment of titles of kings and dukes is not in accordance with the old system; it is a new reward established by His Majesty. Since all the rewards come from the Emperor, who gets them depends entirely on His Majesty’s will, not on who holds the highest position. His Majesty ordered Xu Yuanzhi and Pei Wenxing to be conferred titles of dukes, while Chen Changwen, as Minister of Works, and Chen Jibi, as Imperial Censor, have not made any changes. This is all in accordance with His Majesty’s will.”

Sima Shi pondered for a moment: "I remember when Your Majesty first ascended the throne, there were rumors in Luoyang that Your Majesty had always disliked the scholars of Yingchuan, which is probably why you did not grant Minister Chen the title of Duke. If we are to follow the system, we should only grant Minister Chen the title of County Marquis with an additional fief."

"Hmm." Sima Yi stroked his beard. "Ziyuan, continue." Sima Shi frowned slightly. "I suspect that since His Majesty has forced Guanqiu Jian into the list of dukes, he probably won't refuse the recommendations of his ministers?"

Sima Yi nodded: "Xu Baojian said the same thing. Now is the time for you to make meritorious contributions. Once Jiangling is captured, and Jingnan and Jiaozhou are secured, military merits will be hard to come by. Right now, Minister Huang is like a clay sculpture or a wooden statue by His Majesty's side, and the Ministry of Personnel listens to His Majesty. Previously, Jiang Zitong of Yangzhou recommended Wu Gai to be the Prefect of Danyang and you to be the Magistrate of Jiangning, but His Majesty suppressed it and ordered Xiahou Xuan and Zhong Yu to fill the vacancies."

"Jiang Zitong didn't tell me, I heard it from Sima Zihua, which was his way of avoiding suspicion. Now I'm recommending you to the army, and His Majesty will surely not refuse me this favor. Your son Zishang has already been appointed as the magistrate of Dantu, so there's no need for you. If we're talking about ability, do you think Zishang is capable of being a county magistrate at the age of twenty-four?"

Sima Shi thought for a moment, then bowed and thanked his father, before asking, "What position did you recommend for me, Father?"

"I'm sending you to serve as a military advisor in Cao Zidan's army," Sima Yi said. "Chen Qian, the second son of Chen Jibi, can serve as a chief clerk under Cao Zidan, so why can't you serve as a military advisor? This is not the time to avoid suspicion; you should strive for merit when it's time to do so."

Sima Shi stood up and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Father!"

Sima Yi nodded slightly, then stood up, flicked his sleeves, and walked out without saying a word.

……

Outside Xiling City, the brothers Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang welcomed Sun Deng and his entourage at the south side of the city.

"Your Majesty, this humble subject greets you." Zhuge Liang bowed slightly.

Zhuge Jin, standing to the side, bowed deeply and said, "Your subject Zhuge Jin greets Your Majesty!"

Sun Deng first bowed slightly to Zhuge Liang in return, then hurriedly stepped forward to help Zhuge Jin up, his face full of worry.
"I haven't seen the General for several months. Why has the General lost so much weight?"

Zhuge Jin lowered his eyes and replied, "The current situation is worrying, which is why I look a bit haggard. Your Majesty, on the other hand, seems to be quite tired as well."

Sun Deng sighed softly: "General, you have worked hard in Xiling, guarding this territory for me. If it weren't for you here, I really wouldn't know what to do."

"I am ashamed," Zhuge Jin replied again.

Zhuge Liang watched Sun Deng perform here, then coughed lightly: "Today, your humble servant has met Your Majesty here. This is not the place to discuss matters. Why don't you invite Your Majesty to move to the camp, where your humble servant and General Zhuge will explain the important military matters to Your Majesty?"

"Where shall we set up camp?" Sun Deng countered.

Zhuge Liang pointed to a Han army camp outside Xiling City. Upon seeing the flags there, Sun Deng's face immediately turned cold: "Prime Minister Zhuge, why don't you let me go to Chengdu to meet Emperor Liu to discuss matters?"

Zhuge Liang wasn't annoyed; he just smiled. Zhuge Jin, standing to the side, smoothed things over: "Your Majesty, let's speak here. I'll have tents and seating prepared."

“Very good,” Zhuge Liang added.

Sun Deng breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, let's do it here."

Xiling Commandery is nominally Wu territory, but at this moment, Sun Deng seems like a guest. Currently, Wu has no troops in Xiling, and the city and nearby camps belong to Shu. Holding the meeting on-site actually avoids awkwardness. (End of Chapter)