Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Several days later, inside the Privy Council.

Guo Huai looked at Wei Lie, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery who had come to deliver the message, and after sizing him up a few times, asked, "Vice Minister Wei, what is His Majesty's decree?"

Wei Lie had a short beard and bore a resemblance to his father, Wei Zhen, but Guo Huai saw a hint of timidity in him. Without hesitation, Wei Lie cupped his hands in response and said, "His Majesty has received Lord Guo's memorial. He said he would read it when he had time, so he sent me to reply to Lord Guo."

Wei Lie was Wei Zhen's eldest son. After Wei Zhen's death, he inherited his ducal title and entered the Secretariat as a Vice Minister to gain experience. The positions in the Secretariat were mostly related to documents and confidential matters, and the Vice Minister's salary was only six hundred shi (a unit of grain), which was too low for Wei Lie, who was already forty years old.

Everyone in Luoyang said that Wei Lie was incompetent, and that his position as Vice Minister of the Chancellery was only due to his father's influence.

Although Wei Lie was less talented than his father, he was still astute and discerning. He already held the title of duke and did not rely on the six hundred shi of salary to support his family. Lacking in ability, he could only establish himself in the court through the emperor's favor and affection. Therefore, the best place for him was a place close to the emperor but not involved in politics, and the position of Vice Minister of the Chancellery was just right.

"Look at it when you have time?" Guo Huai raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat puzzled. Suppressing his displeasure, he asked again, "Minister Wei, has His Majesty said when he will receive me?"

Wei Lie shook his head: "His Majesty only told me this much, and did not say when he would receive me."

"What did the cabinet say?" Guo Huai asked again.

“The Cabinet, oh, before I came, the Grand Secretary Wang of the Cabinet mentioned it to me.” Wei Lie thought for a moment, then looked enlightened and added, “Grand Secretary Wang said that the border bandits had started a conflict and asked the Privy Council to come up with a punitive plan and submit it to the Cabinet.”

Guo Huai took a deep breath and looked directly at Wei Lie. Wei Lie's rank was higher than his, so he had to treat him with courtesy, but Wei Lie's speaking style, which was so vague and unhelpful, really annoyed him.

What do you mean by "Wang Shizhong said"?

The cabinet now has four royal attendants!

To put it another way, all four cabinet ministers and the Grand Councilor of the current cabinet are surnamed Wang.

After the deaths of Pei Qian and Cui Lin, Wang Xiong rose through the ranks based on his seniority, becoming the most senior member of the cabinet and currently serving as its head, overseeing daily cabinet affairs. The renowned Confucian scholar Wang Su remains in office, while Wang Chang and Wang Ji have successively joined the cabinet to assist in government affairs.

There is a common saying in Luoyang: "Whose home is Luoyang? The four kings brought peace to the world."

However, Wang Xiong was from the Langya Wang clan, Wang Su from the Donghai Wang clan, and Wang Chang from the Taiyuan Wang clan, while Wang Ji, whose ancestral home was Donglai in Qingzhou, was not considered a prominent family. Cao Rui had, of course, heard such colloquialisms, but simply laughed them off, paying them no heed. These four were the regents he had personally chosen; they just happened to share the same surname.

Guo Huai suppressed his displeasure: "Which Wang Shizhong is it?"

“It is Wang Wenshu, the Attendant-in-Ordinary,” Wei Lie replied.

"I understand." Guo Huai nodded to Wei Lie, somewhat uninterested. "Thank you for your trouble, Minister Wei. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't see you off."

"Lord Guo, farewell." Wei Lie bowed and left with a calm expression.

Wang Chang was from Taiyuan and shared a hometown connection with Guo Huai. Perhaps Guo Huai hadn't mentioned punishing the Japanese enough in his previous memorial, so he kindly reminded him of this.

The Privy Council and the Secretariat were both located in the South Palace, separated from the North Palace by a covered walkway. Wei Lie walked halfway there, looked back towards the South Palace, gazed for a moment, shook his head, and turned to leave.

The Secretariat was in charge of confidential documents, and Wei Lie, in addition to his regular duties, also had the responsibility of compiling and reporting on matters concerning the Luoyang Military Region—a fact unknown even to the cabinet ministers. How could he not know that after Guo Huai met Pei Jun, Pei Hui and the Censorate began a barrage of impeachments the very next day?
Perhaps it is because the school affairs have never caused any trouble in the past ten years or so, nor have they appeared in any official documents of the court, that the officials in Luoyang have gradually forgotten about the existence of the school affairs.

Just because the emperor only reads and doesn't mention it doesn't mean he doesn't know.

……

The inner palace, Yangnian Hall.

The interior of the hall was extremely spacious, with cold, bluish-gray floor tiles on which only three round cushions arranged in a triangle. The emperor himself sat facing south in the center, with Prince Cao Qi of Ye and the Celestial Master Ge Xuan sitting to his left and right respectively, each holding a not-so-thick book.

"The Way is practiced by sages and cherished by fools. Following Yin and Yang brings life, going against them brings death; following them brings order, going against them brings chaos. Reversing the natural order is called internal disorder."

"Your Highness, what is the meaning of the two characters '内格'?" Ge Xuan asked, looking directly at Cao Qi as his voice faded.

Cao Qi placed the book on his lap and calmly replied, "Ge means obstruction, and internal Ge means the Yin and Yang Qi are in disarray. When they are in disarray, Yin cannot interact with Yang, and Yang cannot interact with Yin, so food and water cannot enter, and bowel movements and urination become obstructed."

"Therefore, the sage does not treat illnesses that have already occurred, but rather prevents illnesses from occurring; he does not quell chaos that has already occurred, but rather prevents chaos from occurring. This is what it means." Ge Xuan nodded approvingly, then turned slightly to Cao Rui and cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, Your Highness has finished studying the 'Great Treatise on Regulating the Spirit with the Four Seasons' today. I request to withdraw."

Cao Rui nodded: "Taoism and medicine share the same origin and are fundamentally one. Those who are skilled in Taoism should also be skilled in medicine. Medicine can heal the body and also heal the country. The principles of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic are excellent."

"Go, Celestial Master."

"Yes." Ge Xuan stood up, bowed, and then slowly left.

When he reached the palace gate, Ge Xuan glanced at Zhong Hui, the Gentleman Attendant-in-Ordinary, who was waiting there. He nodded slightly to Zhong Hui and then strode towards his residence inside the palace.

Ge Xuan had been in the palace for three years. Cao Rui placed him in the inner palace for him to cultivate Taoism, and every two days he would spend one morning studying alchemy or medicine.

Daoist alchemy nourishes the body and vital energy, while medical principles cultivate the mind and body.

In Cao Rui's view, these two matters were no less important than the ability to handle political affairs, and both were essential lessons in the education of Cao Qi.

Zhong Hui, dressed in a plain robe, had grown into a very handsome man. He looked around at the palace from outside the gate for a few seconds, then took off his shoes, bowed respectfully, and stepped inside.

“Your Majesty, the Privy Councilor Guo Boji has arrived at the North Palace and is waiting outside the study.” Zhong Hui walked to a spot two zhang in front of Cao Rui and bowed.

"Hmm." Cao Rui responded and waved his hand. Zhong Hui then carefully retreated outside the hall.

Cao Rui then looked at Cao Qi and asked, "What do you think Guo Boji's purpose is in coming here?"

Cao Qi turned to face his father and said softly, "Father, I have read both of Privy Councilor Guo's memorials. I think Privy Councilor Guo came here again because of the Japanese pirate raids."

Cao Rui and Cao Qi had never hidden anything from each other, so Cao Rui asked directly, "What do you think?"

Cao Qi hesitated for a few moments before replying, "Your Majesty, I believe that Privy Councilor Guo's actions this time were inappropriate." "How were they inappropriate?" Cao Rui pressed.

Cao Qi said, “Your Majesty, I have observed that the first memorial he submitted was out of ten parts. Three parts were devoted to explaining the cause and effect, one part to discussing the subsequent punishments, and six parts were dedicated to criticizing the Ministry of Personnel and the Minister of Works for establishing a prefecture on the island of Kyushu instead of a commandant’s office. I believe this is not the way a capable minister should act.”

Cao Rui chuckled, picked out a thin book from the low cabinet beside him, and tossed it to Cao Qi, who caught it with both hands.

"Father, what is this?"

"The list of officials impeaching the Minister of Works in the court in recent days," Cao Rui said calmly. "It includes the Censorate, the Privy Council, and even the Nine Ministers."

Cao Qi's face showed a hint of indignation: "What does the Japanese raiding the border have to do with whether Kyushu is a prefecture or a commandant's office? The Great Wei is mining silver and gold in Japan, and local officials are kidnapping Japanese people to do hard labor. What does that have to do with the system? You're making a mountain out of a molehill!"

"Father, Guo Boji is not focusing on military deployments, but instead prioritizing impeachment. This is a move to fight between factions!"

Cao Rui asked, "Are you worried that Guo Huai will make things worse?"

Cao Qi nodded emphatically: "Not only will it cause trouble, but it will also lead to factional strife!"

Cao Rui asked with a smile, "What's wrong with factional strife? Since I put you in charge of government affairs in the seventeenth year of Taihe, there has always been factional strife in the court. It's not something that just started today. Sima Yi made a mistake, so isn't it normal for Guo Huai to find an opportunity to impeach him?"

"What's wrong with factional strife? Guo Huai and Sima Yi are always on good terms, does that make things better?"

Cao Qi frowned: "But so many people in Luoyang are joining Guo Boji in impeaching Sima Zhongda, their influence is immense!"

Cao Rui said, “You see, in the end, it all comes down to worrying about his growing power. Just now you studied the ‘Treatise on Regulating the Spirit with the Four Seasons,’ isn’t that because you’re worried about the imbalance of the two seasons in the court? The ultimate truths of the world are the same. Pick up the list of impeachments and take a closer look. Who are the people impeaching Sima Yi?”

Cao Qi had just glanced at them and memorized the names. He then answered directly, "The Privy Councilor, the three Privy Councilors, the Vice Censor-in-Chief, the six Censors, the two Nine Ministers, and the Minister! Your Majesty, I see that most of them are from Bingzhou and Hedong, as well as their old acquaintances!"

"Your subject is somewhat worried, as the people of Hedong and Bingzhou are getting closer and closer together."

Cao Rui did not answer, but instead stood up and said, "Let's go. Come with me to the study to see Guo Huai. You only need to bring your ears."

"My son, I obey."

……

"In summary, the first issue is the unification of the various Japanese countries; the second is the punishment of the Japanese for their disturbances; and the third is the stationing of troops on Honshu Island."

"Your Majesty, I have finished speaking," Guo Huai replied, bowing.

Cao Rui nodded noncommittally: "The Japanese countries call themselves countries, but in reality they are not even as powerful as the Three Han states; they are just large tribes. The Great Wei is an external enemy to these Japanese, and a common external enemy will prompt them to unite. This incident at the garrison is an opportunity for the Great Wei to continue its military campaign."

"What about the registered households that the imperial court had previously planned...?" Guo Huai asked tentatively.

Cao Rui said, "Let's put it on hold for now."

"Your Majesty, I understand." Guo Huai nodded, then stood up and bowed. "Your Majesty, I request to impeach Sima Yi, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, before the Emperor."

"Speak," Cao Rui said calmly.

Guo Huai cupped his hands and said, "Your subject impeaches Sima Yi, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, for four crimes."

"Firstly, Sima Yi's mishandling of border affairs during his tenure resulted in the deaths of over two thousand people from the nine prefectures by bandits, marking the greatest setback for the unified Wei dynasty. In the eighth year of the Taihe era, when Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba were serving in Liangzhou, the Xianbei of Hexi captured over two thousand people, resulting in the deaths of over four hundred. At that time, Sima Fu and Xiahou Ba were both demoted to commoners and exiled to Liaodong as a punishment."

"Secondly, Sima Yi abused his power for personal gain, appointing his cronies and promoting his second son, Sima Zhao, to the position of governor of a prefecture. For his crime of causing the loss of the people, he should have been taken to Luoyang in a cage and executed according to the law. Sima Yi should also be implicated."

"Thirdly, Sima Yi sympathizes with the rebels." Guo Huai's lips drooped slightly, making him appear even more serious: "I learned from Chen Ping, the Protector of the Qiang, a month ago that after the conquest of Shu in the fourteenth year of Taihe, the Xun clan sent letters to Sima Yi and Gao Rou, requesting to seek a pardon through a general amnesty. I have heard that Sima Yi sends people twice a year to the Xun clan to deliver money and silk, thus cultivating good relations with officials from Yingchuan."

"Oh? Is there anything else?" Cao Rui asked with a half-smile.

"I won't go into the minor offenses of abusing public power for private gain, but there is one more major offense," Guo Huai said. "Fourthly, when Sima Yi was in the Jiangnan region, he repeatedly tried to win over the generals of Jingzhou, Xiangzhou, and Yangzhou, even saying that they could seek his help if they had any problems. He also showed favoritism in the appointment of officials! When I was inspecting the southern provinces, Sima Yi had already returned to Luoyang to take up his post. The generals felt this was inappropriate, so they came to me to complain about this matter..."

Hearing this, Cao Qi, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but move his lips slightly and turn to look at Cao Rui, as if requesting to speak.

Cao Rui glanced at Cao Qi, signaling him to calm down, and then looked at Guo Huai and said indifferently, "Why didn't you report this to me before, and only told me about it today? If I remember correctly, you went to Jiangnan in the second half of the eighteenth year of Taihe. You knew about it then, didn't you?"

Guo Huai pursed his lips, as if he had already thought it through: "How dare I hide it from Your Majesty? I serve in the Privy Council, and many of my duties conflict with those of the Ministry of Personnel. If I were to report a Minister of Personnel on this matter as soon as I returned to Luoyang from Jiangnan, it would seem as if I were deliberately framing him."

"I have long been confined to the palace to cultivate Taoism and neglect state affairs, yet I never expected that the Minister of Works would be involved in such a scandal!" Cao Rui frowned, showing some displeasure. "You are a Privy Councilor, practically a half-Prime Minister. You just listed four crimes; do you now have any strategies to offer me?"

Guo Huai bowed deeply and said, "Sima Yi is the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. My recommendation of him for his crimes was out of public interest and was by no means intended to disrupt the government. I believe the court should investigate this matter carefully before considering anything else."

"However, Sima Zhao, the governor of Jiuzhou Commandery, failed in his duty to defend the territory, resulting in the deaths of more than two thousand innocent people. He deserves to be executed! Chen Ben should be dispatched immediately to quell the situation and to arrest Sima Zhao and bring him back to Luoyang."

Cao Rui, however, did not follow Guo Huai's lead. Instead, he sighed and asked, "Have you been to the Ministry of Personnel these past few days?"

Guo Huai was surprised: "Never."

Cao Rui said, "Before you submitted your first memorial, the Minister of Works had already informed me of his illness and stayed at home early that morning. I sent the imperial physician to the Minister of Works' residence to diagnose him, and he said that the Minister of Works had caught a cold with a high fever and had not been able to get up for many days, and his health was gradually deteriorating."

"Alas, in the end, he, like you, has toiled for the Great Wei for decades. In recent years, many of the country's veteran officials have passed away. I was planning to make time in a few days to personally visit the Minister of Works at his residence."

Guo Huai was taken aback and blurted out, "How could he be so sick!"

PS: The next extra chapter will be released on the evening of December 20th.

P.S.: The free bonus chapters don't show readership. Readers can check in here! (End of Chapter)