Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

After Zhuge Xu left, Zhuge Ke did not return to his office in the Ministry of War, but instead wandered around the Secretariat, looking here and there. The Secretariat was already incredibly busy, and Wang Ling was unwilling to manage it, and no one could restrain him.

Finally, as evening approached, Zhuge Ke came out of the Ministry of Personnel, showed his badge to the guards, and headed straight for the Jiade Hall.

The Jiade Hall was located in the Southern Palace of Luoyang, as was the Shangshutai (Imperial Secretariat), which was not far from the Southern Palace. The Northern Palace was where the emperor lived and worked.

However, now that we've arrived at the Jiade Hall, Zhuge Ke's title of General of Annam is nothing special.

Today, in front of the Jiade Hall, Zhen Xiang, the newly appointed commander of the Central Guard, served as the greeter, gesturing to the guests who came to the banquet from the bottom of the steps in front of the hall.

Among the generals who came to the banquet, the highest-ranking was Cao Zhen, the Prince of Hejian. In addition, there was Guo Huai, the General Who Conquers Shu, as well as Cao Tai, the General of the Left Guard, Xiahou Xian, the General of the Right Guard, Jiang Wei, the General of the Left Valiant Guard, Wen Qin, the General of the Left Feathered Forest, Cheng Xi, the General of the Right Feathered Forest, Bei Yan, the General of the Righteousness, and Sun Li, the General of the Guerrilla.

The appointment of the new Right Valiant Guard General Hu Zun has been issued, but he has not yet arrived in Luoyang.

Of course, Privy Councilors Liu Ye and Xu Shu were required to attend as per custom.

Aside from the generals and privy councilors, the rest were the nobles and relatives of the Great Wei. One group consisted of those who had already been granted the title of duke, such as Huang Quan, Duke of Langzhong; Pei Qian, Duke of Linfen; and Xin Chang, Duke of Yangdi. The other group consisted of the nobles and relatives of the various officials and the Xiahou clan.

Among the princes were Cao Biao, the Prince of Baima, who served as a colonel in the central army; Cao Yu, the Prince of Shanfu, who served as a secretary in the Ministry of Works; Cao Gun, the Prince of Puyang, who served as a scholar at Chongwen Temple; and Cao Gan, the Prince of Julu, who was still studying at the Imperial Academy.

Among the remaining Cao and Xiahou nobles were Cao Zuan, the second son of Cao Xiu; Cao Xi, the second son of Cao Zhen; Cao Yan, the son of Cao Chun; Xiahou Chong, the grandson of Xiahou Dun; Xiahou Mao, the second son of Xiahou Dun; Xiahou Hui, the sixth son of Xiahou Yuan who served as the supervisor of Chongwen Academy; and Xiahou He, the seventh son of Xiahou Yuan who served as the garrison commander of Beigong.

In short, the emperor only invited two types of people to this banquet: generals and noble relatives.

To those with ulterior motives, this banquet arrangement made it seem as if the newly enfeoffed court officials were being treated the same as the various officials under the Cao and Xiahou clans…

Cao Rui himself was not fond of drinking, nor did he particularly enjoy banquets. However, banquets, as a means of fostering closer relationships with his ministers, were repeatedly proven to be extremely effective in this era.

Drinking heavily is one of the ways to demonstrate a man's magnanimity and demeanor.

After several rounds of drinks, Zhuge Xu, the Gentleman Attendant-in-Ordinary who was serving at the banquet, once again filled Cao Rui's wine cup. Cao Rui took it with his right hand, then slowly stood up and walked towards Cao Zhen's table, which was closest to him on his right.

"Your Majesty." Cao Zhen dared not be negligent and quickly stood up as well.

Cao Rui reached out and pressed down on Cao Zhen's wine cup: "This cup of wine is for the Prince of Hejian. You are not in good health, so please do not drink too much."

Cao Zhen lowered his head slightly and said solemnly, "Your Majesty has come to my table, how can I not drink with Your Majesty?"

"That's not quite right." Cao Rui shook his head and smiled slightly, then beckoned to Cao Xi, who was sitting at a small table behind Cao Zhen: "Come here, Uncle Zhao!"

"Your Majesty, I am here!" Cao Xi quickly stood up, took a few quick steps forward, and bowed deeply: "Please give your orders, Your Majesty."

Cao Rui said, "Your father is ill and cannot drink much. I hereby order you to drink this cup on behalf of the Prince of Hejian. You will also serve the wine that the Prince of Hejian is supposed to drink in the future on behalf of your father."

"Your subject obeys the decree," Cao Xi replied repeatedly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Cao Zhen sighed as well. "I am not yet sixty years old, but my health is already failing. I can't even drink much wine, which is truly a regret of mine."

Cao Rui laughed and said, "What regret could the Prince of Hejian have? There is something I have been forgetting to tell you. Now that everyone is here, I will say it in public."

Cao Zhen's eyes widened slightly, not knowing what the emperor was going to say. The ministers in the hall also turned their gazes toward this place.

Cao Rui finished his wine in the cup, then handed it to Zhuge Xu, who was standing behind him. He put his hands behind his back and said with a smile:

"Now that a king has been enfeoffed, a crown prince must be appointed. Previously in Wuhan, Cao Zhaobo, the eldest son of the King of Hejian, had a long talk with me. Zhaobo was enfeoffed as a marquis for his merit in the conquest of Wu, and is still stationed in Wuhan commanding troops. He told me he wants to earn his own title as a county marquis through his own abilities, and doesn't want to be a crown prince and receive the title in vain." "King of Hejian, what do you think?"

Cao Zhen was stunned. Although he had met Cao Shuang in Wuhan, he had never heard Cao Shuang mention these things!

"Your Majesty's instructions are to be obeyed." Cao Zhen pursed his lips.

Cao Rui chuckled and pointed at Cao Xi, saying, "Uncle Zhao, you just drank this cup of wine for the King of Hejian, so you shall be appointed as the heir apparent of the King of Hejian. Since you have not yet taken office, I hereby order you to serve as the magistrate of Lecheng County, the capital of Hejian, so that you can take care of your father nearby."

"Strive hard, lest you disappoint me!"

"Your Majesty..." Cao Xi never expected such a thing to happen to him, and he was thrown into a panic, not even knowing how to respond. Instead, he hurriedly glanced at Cao Zhen.

Cao Zhen took a deep breath and immediately bowed down, and Cao Xi quickly followed suit.

"Your Majesty's great kindness to me will be repaid by my sons and grandsons with all our might! Your subject, Cao Zhen, thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"

After saying this, Cao Zhen immediately kowtowed.

Cao Rui did not help him up, but accepted Cao Zhen's bow with composure.

For established families, how to inherit the family business is a major issue that they cannot avoid.

The Yuan family of Runan during the Later Han Dynasty achieved the remarkable feat of producing three high-ranking officials across four generations, thanks to the outstanding leadership figures in each generation.

At present, in the tenth year of the Taihe era, the Cao and Xiahou families can still be considered as a whole. However, if a few more years pass and Cao Zhen gradually ages, the Cao and Xiahou families will likely cease to exist as a unified entity, and their kinship with the emperor will become increasingly distant. They will only grow and multiply as independent families.

Over the past decade, Cao Shuang's long service on the border, his diligence, and his numerous military achievements earned him the emperor's recognition and the title of Marquis of a Township. In contrast, Cao Zhen's other sons, such as Cao Xi and Cao Xun, did not achieve fame.

Cao Zhen was granted a real title. If Cao Zhen were to pass away in the future, and the title of King of Hejian were to bind Cao Shuang, then his branch of the family would not be able to develop much further.

However, what Cao Zhen considered to be a lack of development was merely clinging to the position of King of Hejian, which was already the pinnacle that others dared not even dream of.

The emperor had indeed been kind to Cao Zhen's family, and they certainly deserved this honor.

"Rise," Cao Rui said, helping Cao Zhen up. He nodded and said, "Zhao Bo is becoming more and more capable, and I am pleased about that."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Cao Zhen stood up, a hint of weariness creeping into his face and eyes. He sighed softly and spoke again:

"Your Majesty, I will be returning to my fiefdom tomorrow. I request that Your Majesty appoint a regent to oversee the state."

Cao Rui raised an eyebrow: "Didn't I dismiss this post several years ago? Why is the Prince of Hejian bringing it up again? I have no worries about you, nor about the other princes of the imperial clan, the Prince of Xinye, the Prince of Chencang, or any other princes I might bestow titles upon in the future."

"I should send a prime minister of your Hejian Kingdom with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), and I will go with you tomorrow."

"Your subject understands." Cao Zhen nodded slightly.

Cao Rui put his left hand on his hip and pointed with his right hand at the person sitting at the very end of the hall:
"General Zhuge Yuanxun of Annam is of virtuous character and capable of great things. I will send him to Hejian as prime minister. What does the King of Hejian think?"

Zhuge Ke was momentarily stunned. (End of Chapter)