Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

It was called a school, but it was just a separate pavilion next to the East Bright Gate on the east side of the North Palace. There was only one teacher, Wei Dan, and only three students: the brothers Cao Qi, Cao Yan, and Cao Shou.

The fourth prince, Cao He, was born in the sixth year of the Taihe era. At present, he only reads the Book of Poetry every day in the school and cannot be considered a proper student.

Wei Dan was lecturing on the Book of Rites when he saw the Emperor and Consort Mao enter from outside. He quickly put down his book, took five or six steps forward to greet them, and bowed, saying, "Your subject Wei Dan greets Your Majesty and Consort Mao."

"Father is here!" the youngest Cao He shouted.

Wei Dan then turned to look at Cao He, who lowered his head to avoid Wei Dan's gaze. Cao Qi, behaving like an elder brother, gestured for his three younger brothers to rise from their seats, stand in a row, and then bow in unison.
"My son, I pay my respects to my father!"

Cao Rui smiled and nodded, then asked, "What did the teacher teach you today?"

"Reporting to Father Emperor, today's lesson was on the Doctrine of the Mean," Cao Qi replied loudly.

Cao Rui then asked, "Which section of the Doctrine of the Mean can Qi'er recite?"

Cao Qi, unfazed, replied: "Your Majesty, today Mr. Wei taught us the principle of 'Sincerity can foresee the future. When a nation is about to prosper, there will be auspicious omens; when a nation is about to perish, there will be monstrous signs. These will be seen in the divination of yarrow stalks and tortoise shells, and manifested in the movements of the four limbs. When fortune or misfortune is about to arrive, the good will know beforehand; the evil will know beforehand. Therefore, utmost sincerity is like a god."

Cao Rui nodded noncommittally, then looked at Wei Dan and asked, "How does the Grand Master of Ceremonies interpret this passage?"

Wei Dan, being quite intelligent, cupped his hands and said, "Prince Yong once wanted to reinterpret the Doctrine of the Mean, but perhaps due to the distractions of government affairs, he was unable to begin. Therefore, I will answer based on Zheng Xuan's interpretation. The so-called 'foresight' means knowing the budding of something before it even begins..."

"That's fairly standard." After hearing this, Cao Rui looked at Cao Qi and said, "Qi'er, this passage says that when a country is about to perish, there will be monsters appearing. Mr. Wei only gave a general interpretation. Your father asks you, what is the proper interpretation of the word 'monsters'?"

Cao Qi thought for a moment: "It is called a monster, but it is not a monster. It is called a monster."

"You taught him?" Cao Rui raised an eyebrow and looked at Wei Dan.

Wei Dan quickly replied, "These words were not taught to me; I just learned this passage today."

“Father, it was my own idea,” Cao Qi replied.

Cao Rui sat down on Cao Qi's small chair, very close to him, and asked with a kind expression, "Qi'er, tell me, what do you mean by that?"

Cao Qi thought for a moment: "This chapter of the Doctrine of the Mean talks about gentlemen, sages, Shun, King Wen, King Wu, and the Duke of Zhou, so it discusses matters from the perspective of the monarch. For the monarch, the term 'monster' should not refer to ghosts, gods, or spirits, but rather to abnormalities in national affairs and court politics."

Cao Rui exchanged a glance with the slightly nervous Consort Mao, his own emotions a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Composing himself, he continued to ask Cao Qi, "What are the unusual occurrences in state affairs and politics?"

Cao Qi said, “It is abnormal for eunuchs to wield power, for relatives of the empress to disrupt the government, for officials to be lawless and corrupt, for ministers to overstep their bounds, and for warlords to carve up their own territories. These are the real monsters.”

Cao Rui patted Cao Qi's head and said with a smile, "I'd like to say a few more words to you. If you can answer, then answer; if you can't, that's fine too. Why are there these monsters?"

Cao Qi bit his lip and replied after a long pause, "Because the ruler is not sincere enough and cannot foresee the future."

Cao Rui smiled and nodded: "Although it was a bit of a trick, it was still an excellent answer."

Then, Cao Rui turned to Cao Yan and asked, "Yan'er, do you think what your elder brother said is right?"

Cao Yan nodded: "Yes."

"Why?"

“Brother is always right,” Cao Yan replied.

Cao Rui, slightly exasperated, slowly said, "So, what do you think of that statement?"

Cao Yan nervously gripped the hem of his robe, then looked in Wei Dan's direction. After receiving an encouraging look, Cao Yan whispered, "Your subject does not know, Master Wei has not yet taught this prodigy."

"Very well, that's a good answer." Cao Rui patted Cao Yan's head approvingly: "To know what you know, and to know what you don't know, is true knowledge."

“That’s right!” Cao Yan promptly finished the sentence.

Cao Rui nodded slightly, then asked Cao Shou and Cao He about the ending, chatted with his four sons about everyday matters, and then left with Consort Mao.

Consort Mao didn't dare to speak the whole time, until she had walked a little further away before she dared to ask, "Your Majesty, how did Qi'er answer just now?" Cao Rui nodded, "Qi'er's talent is excellent. I have decided to take Qi'er with me on this expedition."

"Taking Qi'er with you on the expedition?" Mao Yan couldn't help but cover her mouth in surprise: "But how long will Your Majesty be gone? I don't know yet."

Cao Rui calmly replied, "Just now in the study, didn't I send Minister Li of the Ministry of Revenue to Guanzhong ahead of time? I will set out in ten days, leading 40,000 central troops westward into Hanzhong, and personally oversee the northern route."

"As for how long I will be gone, I cannot be sure yet."

"Unlike when we conquered Wu before, when the Great Wei had its navy fully trained at Chaohu Lake, Wu's fate was sealed. Wu was originally known for its navy, but if it lost its naval warfare and water transport capabilities, it would have weaknesses everywhere along the Yangtze River, and the Great Wei could easily win."

"But the Shu Kingdom is different."

Mao Yan tightened her grip on Cao Rui's slender hand, her almond-shaped eyes glancing at Cao Rui's profile: "What's different? Would I possibly know?"

Cao Rui said, “Mencius said that a country is not secured by the dangers of mountains and rivers, and the world is not dominated by the advantages of weapons. But when it comes to the dangers of mountains and rivers, none is more dangerous than Shu. Moreover, Zhuge Liang of Shu is still alive, and his talent far surpasses that of Sun Quan. With these advantages, even if only Yizhou remains unconquered, I must still be extremely cautious.”

"The war will begin in July of autumn. If it can be concluded within a year, I will be very satisfied. If it drags on and we cannot conquer it, it may take even longer." Cao Rui smiled and said, "It's just a matter of whether it's faster or slower."

Mao Yan nodded thoughtfully. In fact, she didn't quite understand these military matters; she was just agreeing with her husband. "Then why is Qi'er going on the expedition with His Majesty?"

"For no reason," Cao Rui said calmly. "Born into the imperial family, I don't force him to learn. Many things are enough for him to just see. By seeing more, listening more, and asking more, he will naturally understand. I originally knew nothing about military affairs, but after many years of fighting, I now have a complete understanding of military matters."

"Since he is the eldest son, he should be allowed to experience military life. Moreover, the Cao family has a tradition of sending their sons to the army."

Mao Yan replied softly, "I've never heard of such things."

Cao Rui slowly said, "In the second year of Jian'an, the late emperor followed Emperor Wu in the campaign against Zhang Xiu in Wancheng. At that time, the late emperor was only eleven years old, and he was still able to escape on horseback amidst the chaos of the army. Qi'er is now thirteen years old."

"In the ninth year of Jian'an, when Emperor Wu captured Ye City, the late Emperor was already able to lead an army on his own. At that time, the late Emperor was only eighteen years old. After that, whenever Emperor Wu went on a campaign, the late Emperor would either stay behind to guard Ye City to reassure the ministers and generals, or he would accompany the emperor on campaigns in the north and south, never shirking his hardships."

"Yan'er, you are a mother. If you want Qi'er to be born with both literary and martial talents, you cannot keep him in the deep palace for too long. Many emperors in the Han Dynasty were weak because they stayed in the palace for too long. Occasionally, there were some wise emperors, like Emperor Ling of Han, but they still caused the country to continue to collapse due to their negligence and evil deeds."

"Intelligence is necessary, but courage and perseverance are even more important."

Mao Yan nodded obediently in agreement: "Your Majesty is always farsighted. Your Majesty is a father, and a son should do as his father instructs. I, a mere woman, will not say more."

Cao Rui just smiled.

Now that things have come to this point, Mao Yan understood that His Majesty was treating their son, the eldest prince Cao Qi, as the heir.
Thinking of this, Mao Yan couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. After a moment of secret happiness, she suddenly realized that her nervousness when His Majesty questioned Cao Yan was rather ridiculous...

Cao Rui set April 22nd as the date for the military campaign, and the time was drawing near. All the necessary arrangements in the court had been made, and the army was just waiting to split into two routes and set off to their designated battle positions, so that the campaign against Shu could begin on the first day of July.

Previously, Mao Yan had summoned Cao Rui back to the palace. Cao Rui knew that he had been busy with state affairs and had neglected his concubines, so he spent a passionate night with Mao Yan that night.

The very next day, Sun Luban approached him, saying that His Majesty's campaign had been long and he deserved some comfort. Unable to refuse her earnest request, Cao Rui had no choice but to comply. Cao Rui and Sun Luban had known each other for over ten years and were intimately familiar with one another. However, to his surprise, Sun Luban, in order to secure his favor, conspired with her younger sister, Sun Luyu, to have the older sister leave during the intermission and have the younger sister take her place…

Cao Rui, being a considerate husband, knew that his two daughters were worried about losing his favor, so he punished the two sisters, Da Hu and Xiao Hu, for their self-initiated actions, and then comforted them.

The world is always more concerned about inequality than scarcity. With the examples of Consort Mao and Consort Sun, especially those concubines who had no children, they were even more anxious and asked Cao Rui to visit them, which completely disrupted the palace that had been quiet for two months.

Yang Huiyu, Wen Fang, Su Huan, Jia Cheng... none of the concubines could be refused. Cao Rui knew that he would be away on campaign for a long time, so he comforted them all.

On the eve of their departure, it was finally Guo Yao's turn.

Perhaps because she was unable to conceive, Guo Yao's infatuation with Cao Rui was more intense than that of other concubines in the palace. She also expressed her emotions more directly, quite unlike women of that era, being more accommodating and passionate. One night of passion, then another…

Before falling asleep, Guo Yao nestled against Cao Rui's chest and murmured softly, "Your Majesty has gone to Guanzhong this time. If you return, I will be much older, and I have no children. Will Your Majesty gradually abandon me?"

"No." Cao Rui stroked Guo Yao's smooth, snow-white neck and said slowly, "I have over twenty women in my harem, and I've experienced everything I needed to experience. Why would I still be fascinated by harem matters? Rest assured, I don't plan to take any more concubines for the time being. I think I said this three years ago..." (End of Chapter)