Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

On the carriage leaving the city, Jiang Ji still kept his eyes closed, resting.

As the governor of a prefecture, if he were to govern diligently, his workload might not be any less than that of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat; he was already handling countless affairs every day.

"Yesterday I submitted a memorial requesting the Fengshan ceremony. I imagine it will cause quite a stir once I arrive in Luoyang." Jiang Ji swayed slightly in the carriage as he spoke to Li Ying, the adjutant beside him. "I'm not afraid of what people in Luoyang will say about me; I'm just afraid they'll forget about me in the south!"

Li Ying smiled and replied, "Your Excellency is a duke, how could Luoyang forget you? I remember Your Excellency said that you would return to Luoyang to pay your respects this year, I wonder when you will return?"

“Let’s go to Luoyang in April.” Jiang Ji yawned. “I took over the three southern prefectures of Yangzhou last February. I need to report to His Majesty and the central government on three matters: the cleanup of the remnants of Wu, the rectification of officialdom, and the copper mines. His Majesty has no reason to prevent me from returning to Luoyang.”

"Now that we're back in Luoyang, we should naturally bring some gifts with us. All the wealth seized in Wu should be sent to the Imperial Household Department."

"The Imperial Household Department?" Li Ying asked, somewhat puzzled. "Shouldn't it be sent to the Ministry of Revenue?"

Jiang Ji scoffed, "Why send it to the Ministry of Revenue? It's not like it's tax revenue or grain. These are considered spoils from the prefectures. Once they're in the hands of the Imperial Household Department, they're practically in the hands of His Majesty. Besides, last year we hastily sent Sun Quan's treasury to Shouchun, and we didn't even properly sort it out. There's still a lot left over. The wealth of the Sun family and the powerful families of Jiangdong is immeasurable, which will just fill the Imperial Household Department's treasury. Don't say the Emperor doesn't love money; this is clearly spoils, so there's no harm in taking it."

"Your Excellency is wise." Li Ying bowed.

Jiang Ji continued, "Besides those for His Majesty, there are also those for the ministers of Luoyang. I will keep one-third of the wealth in my private treasury, and the rest will be given away. You should prepare a list for me later, and send copies to the Grand Secretariat, the Secretariat, and the Privy Council."

Li Ying was still somewhat worried: "Wouldn't this be too conspicuous?"

Jiang Ji scoffed, "What good are a few gifts? Don't you know how the late Emperor obtained his position as Grand Commandant? His family gave Emperor Ling's Western Garden a hundred million coins! That's how he got the position!"

Li Ying thought for a few seconds before realizing who this "Grand Emperor" was. It was Cao Song, the biological father of Emperor Wu of Han (Cao Cao)!
Li Ying smiled and said, "Your Excellency is indeed wise. In these peaceful times, it's common to be a little wealthier. Besides, what's wrong with Your Excellency seeing His Majesty off first and then your subject?"

“That’s right.” Jiang Ji stroked his beard and smiled, quite pleased with himself: “Besides those for His Majesty and ministers, there are also those for the imperial court.”

"There are eighteen copper mines in Danyang Prefecture. Last year, the Privy Council was busy with military affairs and did not have time to send copper officials, so I took charge of them all. From an official standpoint, the gift I am sending to the court is meant to relieve the court's urgent needs!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ying finally hesitated: "How much copper does Your Excellency intend to send to Luoyang?"

Jiang Ji slowly said, "Ten ships of a thousand shi each will be delivered!"

“A thousand shi… ten ships…” Even though Li Ying was skilled in administrative affairs, he still thought for a while: “That is the weight of ten thousand shi. One shi is equal to one hundred and twenty jin. That means that Your Excellency is going to take one million two hundred thousand jin of copper to Luoyang?”

"That's right." Jiang Ji nodded. "Could you roughly calculate how much of the shortfall is left?"

Li Ying thought for a moment: "Even if all 500,000 catties of copper originally belonging to the Wu Kingdom in Danyang are melted down, there will still be about 200,000 catties short."

"Two hundred thousand catties?" Jiang Ji frowned. "Give the order to all the copper officials to hurry up and finish mining all the copper by the end of March at the latest. In any case, I will be leaving for Luoyang in April. Also, melt down all the coins from various parts of Wu and cast them into copper ingots. Wu coins are not allowed to be used in Wei."

"Remember this, it should be done as soon as possible!"

"Understood, Your subordinate." Li Ying nodded.

...Luoyang, North Palace, study.

Cao Rui was reviewing documents behind his desk when Pei Qian, the Chamberlain, led Guo Huai, the General Who Conquers Shu, in from outside to inside.

Cao Rui began writing something on the document without looking up. Guo Huai looked up at Pei Qian with slight nervousness. Pei Qian shook his head slightly and pointed to the ground, indicating that Guo Huai should wait quietly for a moment.

Guo Huai understood and stood quietly.

Guo Huai came from a prominent family in Taiyuan, Bingzhou, but for the past twenty years, he had been serving as a general in the Guanzhong frontier. The last time he returned to Luoyang was in the second year of the Huangchu era, when the late Emperor Cao Pi summoned him to the capital for an audience.

More than a decade has passed, and not only has Luoyang changed, but the entire Wei Dynasty is now far more prosperous than before. Guo Huai knew, of course, that the emperor liked to receive his ministers in his study, but this was the first time for him!
The last time Zhang Junyi came to Luoyang from Yongliang to pay homage to His Majesty, he returned with the title of Governor of Yongliang! Now that I have been recommended by Wei Zhen, I wonder how His Majesty will view me?
Guo Huai took a deep breath and lowered his gaze slightly.

About fifteen minutes later, Cao Rui closed the document in front of him, put down his vermilion brush, and Pei Qian finally spoke:
"Your Majesty, General Guo Huai, who is in charge of the conquest of Shu, has arrived."

"Your subject Guo Huai pays his respects to Your Majesty! Congratulations on Your Majesty's successful campaign against Wu!" Guo Huai immediately rose and bowed.

"Rise, please take a seat." Cao Rui replied casually, "Is Minister Guo from Nanzheng or Xiabian?"

"Thank you for offering me a seat, Your Majesty." Guo Huai sat down somewhat awkwardly and immediately replied, "I came from Nanzheng. On the way, I passed through Xiabian and saw the Imperial Guards. Then I took the Chencang Road and Tongguan Road to Luoyang. The journey took fifteen days."

Cao Rui nodded: "So you came as soon as you received the imperial decree?"

"Yes," Guo Huai replied.

Cao Rui stared into Guo Huai's eyes for a few seconds, then asked again, "Wei Cheqi said that all the generals in Guanzhong have volunteered to fight for him, and you, Guo Huai, are the one who volunteered the most?"

"Come, Minister Guo, tell me what you think. The court is fighting in the south, and the country is suffering huge losses. How do you plan to fight in Guanzhong, and what will you use to fight?"

Guo Huai was momentarily embarrassed. He hurriedly stood up, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, it was my oversight. I failed to consider the overall situation for a moment. Your Majesty has already reprimanded me, and I know my mistake. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

"Sit down." Cao Rui said calmly, "Since you know you've made a mistake, and Wei Cheqi has already scolded you, I won't scold you again here to avoid wasting my breath."

"Since you are so eager to volunteer for the campaign, tell me properly. If I appoint you as the general to attack Shu, how will you lead the troops for me? How will you fight the battle?"

Guo Huai cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, please allow me to consider this matter."

Cao Rui nodded without saying a word.

In the eyes of all the ministers in the land, the current Emperor Taihe is a figure similar to Emperor Wu. He personally leads expeditions and wins every battle. Now that the Wu region has been pacified, no one doubts His Majesty's military talent.

He should think this over carefully… (End of Chapter)