Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

May 30th, evening, at the Court of Justice.

"Oh, Zitong has arrived?" Court Official Gao Rou stood up and went to the door to greet him: "What brings you to my place today?"

Jiang Ji smiled and said, "I'm leaving for Yangzhou early tomorrow morning. I just returned from paying my respects to His Majesty at the North Palace and came to the Court of Justice to see Brother Wenhui."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two sat down together. Gao Rou looked at Jiang Ji's leisurely expression and couldn't help but stroke his beard and sigh, "Zitong's trip to Luoyang this time can be described as having some close calls but no real dangers, some losses and some gains."

"Where is there no danger?" Jiang Ji shook his head and said with a wry smile, "This is too dangerous!"

Gao Rou said, "There were three major obstacles. The first was that you brought so much money with you. The second was Xiahou Xuan's impeachment. The third was the predicament you faced in Yangzhou. Haven't you resolved them all now?"

Jiang Ji sighed, “Brother Wenhui, I originally intended to send six cartloads of valuables and treasures to the high-ranking officials in Luoyang, and you were supposed to receive a share as well. However, after they were delivered to the Imperial Household Department, His Majesty ordered them to be taken back. Brother Wenhui, how could I dare to bring this money back to Yangzhou? Three days ago, I handed all of this money over to the Chongwen Academy and entrusted it to Xiahou Zhiquan, the supervisor of education at the Chongwen Academy, so that they could distribute the money to the various schools.”

Gao Rou clicked her tongue: "Does the school really need so many?"

“Why not?” Jiang Ji secretly rolled his eyes. “Xiahou Zhiquan said he wants to distribute this money to the four northern prefectures of Yingzhou, Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou to build the prefectural schools, and then the county and county schools. Distributing so much money will only make a small splash. Forget it, let’s not talk about this. Anyway, this money is going to be given away, it has nothing to do with me. I’d better not talk about it to avoid getting upset.”

"Hahahaha." Gao Rou couldn't help but burst into laughter. "You, you, even when His Majesty punished you by waiving three years' salary and reducing your fiefdom by a hundred households, you weren't this heartbroken. It seems that money really does move people's hearts. But, is this all the money you got in Yangzhou? You can't have brought it all to Luoyang, can you?"

“How much is three years’ salary? My fiefdom has a total of five thousand households. Reducing it by one hundred households is just His Majesty making a show of it.” Jiang Ji’s expression instantly turned wary as he stared at Gao Rou and said, “Why is the Court of Justice asking me about my money? I’ve already told His Majesty how much money I have in Yangzhou, and he hasn’t said a word. Do you intend to interfere?”

Gao Rou grinned mischievously, "Aren't you going to hand these over?"

"I won't hand it over, I won't hand it over no matter what, His Majesty didn't even ask!" Jiang Ji shook his head repeatedly: "Let's not talk about this anymore, I'm leaving tomorrow, Brother Wenhui, do you have any wine to entertain me tonight?"

Gao Rou laughed heartily: "Of course there's wine. Since Zitong has already bid farewell to His Majesty, let's get drunk tonight!"

Jiang Ji smiled and agreed.

For Jiang Ji, the past month in Luoyang had been filled with too much.

First, there was a wave of discussion in Luoyang, and he was forced to donate all the money he had prepared to bribe the officials in Luoyang. Then came a memorial concerning the Yue people of the mountains, and he, as the governor of Yangzhou, accepted the proposal to first use Danyang County as a pilot area to register the Yue people within its territory as ordinary citizens of the Great Wei.

Following this incident, the imperial court established Shuozhou and transferred Tian Yu, the Protector of the Wuhuan, to the position of Governor of Shuozhou. It also ordered Wang Ling, the Minister of War, and Cheng Xi, the Right General of the Feathered Forest Guard, to lead 10,000 cavalrymen from Luoyang northward to Bingzhou to assist Tian Yu in handling affairs in Shuozhou.

In short, the imperial court was never idle. To consolidate its rule over the southern Wu region, it focused its efforts on the north. Furthermore, regarding the conflict between Jiang Ji, the governor of Yangzhou, and Xiahou Xuan, the prefect of Danyang, the emperor also expressed his support for Xiahou Xuan. On the one hand, he ordered the Directorate of Works to send people to take over the copper mines in the southern prefectures and counties; on the other hand, the Ministry of Works ordered the relocation of the Danyang prefecture's capital from the secondary capital Jiangning along the river to Wanling City, located in the heart of Danyang, effectively separating Xiahou Xuan from Jiang Ji.

The following morning, Jiang Ji led a group of entourage away from Luoyang.

It was the first day of the sixth lunar month, and Cao Rui held a grand court assembly in the Chongde Hall of the Southern Palace, as was customary. After the court session, the officials returned to their respective offices, but Cao Zhi, the Prince of Yongqiu, who had been reinstated as Grand Herald, was blocked inside the gate of the Herald Temple by several strangely dressed people.

What was considered strange was simply that their attire differed from that of ordinary officials, but the clerks in the Court of State Ceremonial were already used to these people.

Among them were Wu Shi Tianshi Ge Xuan, who wore a linen Taoist robe and called himself Dan Dao; Zhang Sheng, the new master of the Five Pecks of Rice sect and the fourth son of Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, who wore a gorgeous Shu brocade robe; Liu Chang, a Yellow Turban Taoist who returned from the sea wearing a yellow turban and a yellow robe; and Zhi Qian, a monk with a shaved head and wearing a monk's robe, who was from the Western Regions.

Upon seeing these people, Cao Zhi smiled somewhat awkwardly, then cupped his hands and asked, "What business do you gentlemen have waiting for me here for?"

The four men bowed to Cao Zhi in unison, and Zhang Sheng, who was at the front, cupped his hands and said, "When will Your Majesty grant us an audience with His Majesty?"

Cao Zhi looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Lord Zhang, it is not up to me to decide when His Majesty will be available. I hope you will all wait a while."

"How much longer are we waiting?" Zhang Sheng's expression changed, showing slight resentment. "The court summoned me from Ye City in January this year, saying that Attendant Wang wanted to discuss Daoist scriptures with me. January turned into February, March into April, but Attendant Wang still hasn't seen me. In May, he ordered me and everyone else to stay temporarily at the Honglu Temple!"

"Does Your Majesty perhaps think that we are unaware of what the Court of State Ceremonial is? What does discussing Daoist scriptures have to do with the Court of State Ceremonial?"

Of the four men present, Ge Xuan had come from Wu on his own initiative, Liu Daoren had surrendered out of desperation, and Zhi Qian was a Western Region monk with no real connections. To Cao Zhi, these three were insignificant. However, the fourth son of Zhang Lu held the title of Marquis of Ting. When Zhang Lu surrendered Hanzhong to Cao Cao, he was granted a fief of ten thousand households, and all five of his sons were simultaneously ennobled. Furthermore, Zhang Lu's daughter had married Cao Zhi's younger brother, Cao Yu. The Zhang family was a legitimate and respectable noble family of Wei, and Cao Zhi had to show them some respect.

Wang Su originally intended to take time in April or May to work with these 'religious' figures to resolve the religious issues assigned to him by Cao Rui, but he was delayed by discussions in Luoyang and planning for Shuozhou and the Yue tribes, and so the matter was postponed again and again.

As for keeping these people with Cao Zhi, it originated from Cao Rui's casual remark that they should stay at the Honglu Temple where Cao Zhi worked, based on their shared cultural background.

Cao Zhi was also helpless. He knew that these people might actually be useful, so he did not want to make enemies with them. He repeatedly cupped his hands and said, "Please wait a moment, everyone. Since you are all so anxious, how about I go to the palace this afternoon to ask for instructions?"

"Whether His Majesty and Attendant Wang have time or not, the answer will be revealed this afternoon. I hope you will all be patient for a moment."

Zhang Sheng nodded: "Thank you, Your Majesty. We will wait here." (End of Chapter)