Shuhan

Chapter 312 Cao Pi’s compromise and helplessness!

The next morning.

King Cao Pi of Wei went to the morning court with two dark circles under his eyes.

During this period, great rewards were given to the generals and officials who put down Cao Zhang's rebellion.

Even Cao Rui, the Marquis of Wu De, was promoted to Duke of Qi and Crown Prince of Wei for his merits. This reward was a signal to the government and the public.

The next candidate for King Wei is Qi Gong Cao Rui!
"My son, thank you father for your kindness!"

Cao Rui looked excited, holding the Wat board, and immediately knelt down. He lowered his head, and his whole body was shaking. He held the Wat board tightly with both hands, even if the flesh under his nails turned green and white, he didn't know it.

After months of planning, the results are finally coming.

Call ~
The big stone in his heart finally fell.

It seems
He didn't know whether the other moves were correct, but he made the right move with Queen Guo.

Cao Pi looked at the excited Cao Rui, feeling a little disgusted in his heart, and said, "After the court is over, you can go see the queen."

"My son understands."

After dealing with Cao Rui's affairs, Cao Pi looked at Cao Zhi, who looked somewhat similar to him among the ministers. He snorted coldly and said: "Pingyuan Marquis and Qi Gong guarded Luoyang together, and they did meritorious service, but... according to According to the school affairs office, there is correspondence between Marquis Pingyuan and the traitor Cao Zhang? But?"

Letter correspondence?

Cao Zhi's expression suddenly changed. He immediately knelt on the ground and said in pain: "My brother and the Marquis of Yanling have not communicated by letter. Please give me a clear understanding."

"Dare to argue?"

Cao Pi's eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"I captured the deputy general of Marquis Yanling, and he has already confessed you. It is said that you not only have correspondence with the traitor Cao Zhang, but you even want to cooperate with the traitor army inside and outside to conquer Luoyang!"

As soon as Cao Pi said these words, all the courtiers in the court gasped and looked at Cao Zhi, full of surprise.

At this moment, Cao Zhi's complexion was pale, with no blood at all.

"My brother. My brother is wronged!"

He doesn't know now that Cao Pi is trying to frame him.

If you want to add a crime, why don't you have any trouble?
He looked pitifully at Cao Rui, who was now the Duke of Qi, hoping that he could help him at this critical moment.

However.
At this moment, Cao Rui lowered his head and seemed not to see Cao Zhi's gaze at all.

He looked at General Cao Ren for help again.

The latter looked hesitant, but in the end he just sighed without saying any words.

Shangshu Linghuanjie, Xiahou Mao, Chen Qun
It is silence.

"Ha ha."

"Haha~"

Cao Zhi gave a bitter smile, giggled, knelt down on the ground, and hit his head on the ground, which made a shocking sound.

Bang bang bang!
"My brother is unjustly accused, and I have absolutely no intention of colluding with the traitors. As for the so-called letters and the so-called confessions, some people want to frame my brother."

anyone?

Cao Pi narrowed his eyes and asked coldly: "The person you are talking about is Gu?"

bang bang bang~
Cao Zhi kowtowed three times and said, "My brother, I have absolutely no intention of doing this. Please give me a clear warning!"

Mingjian?

Cao Pi thought of last night's nightmare and what Cao Zhi had done before, and his heart became as hard as stone.

"Shoot Pingyuan Marquis into Luoyang Prison. If there is any injustice, Guzi will defend you anyway!"

anyway?

Cao Zhi's forehead was already bleeding, and he could only shout: "My brother is wronged, my brother is wronged!"

However, at this moment, two guards came forward and pulled him out of the palace.

After Cao Zhi's cry of injustice gradually faded away, Cao Pi said impatiently: "If you have nothing to do, just go to court!"

He now couldn't wait to go to Luoyang Prison and settle the knot in his heart.

Just when Cao Pi was about to leave the throne, Chen Qun, who was wearing a civil official robe and a Jinxian crown on his head, seven inches high in front, three inches high in the back, eight inches long, and three beams in crown, stood up.

"I have a report that I want to report."

Seeing Chen Qun come up to play the book, Cao Pi had to sit back down after having just raised his buttocks.

"Ai Qing has a quick play!"

So unsightly?
I'm so anxious to do something!
hiss!
Chen Qun took a deep breath, held the wat tablet above his head, and said: "What I want to report is related to the foundation of the country, the scholars of the world, and the appointment of officials!"

Kunimoto?

Cao Pi narrowed his eyes and frowned unconsciously.

Are you going to force me to agree to the Ninth Grade Officials Law in the morning?
Is it forced by the noble clan?

Cao Pi's hand on the armrest of the throne suddenly tightened.

"Just tell me."

Cao Pi's tone was cold, and there was some emotion in his words.

However, Chen Qun seemed not to have heard Cao Pi's emotions, and said to himself: "The Han Dynasty's inspection system is no longer in line with the times, and it can no longer achieve the purpose of taking the world's talents for the king's use."

Seeing that Cao Pi was silent, Chen Qun continued: "My ministers and the talented people have formulated a new method for recruiting talents, which is called the 'Nine-Rank Officials' Law', which can also be called the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System.

What is the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System?
The first is to set up Zhongzheng. The so-called Zhongzheng is the person in charge of criticizing figures in a certain region, that is, the Zhongzheng official.

Zhongzhengguan can be divided into big and small. The state has Dazhongzhengguan, who is in charge of the evaluation of people in several counties in the state. Each county has another Xiaozhongzhengguan.

The second is to be a good person, which is the main responsibility of Zhongzheng officials.

The Zhongzhengguan is responsible for evaluating the scholars of the same country as him, including those in the state and those scattered in other counties.

There are three main contents in the evaluation:
First, family background: that is, family origin and background.Refers to the seniority, official status and title of the father and grandfather.These materials are called books or books, and they must be mastered by Zhongzheng officials in detail.

Second, career status: a general evaluation of personal conduct and ability.

Third, determine the product: that is, determine the grade.In principle, the determination of products is based on career status, and family background is only used as a reference.

The third is the selection basis.

Zhongzheng's evaluation results were submitted to the Situ Mansion for review and approval, and then sent to the Ministry of Officials as the basis for selecting officials.

The grade assessed by Zhongzheng is closely related to the official career of the person being evaluated.

The evaluation figures of Zhongzheng are adjusted once every three years as usual, but Zhongzheng can also upgrade or demote the evaluation figures at any time. "

After finishing his long speech on the Law of Nine-Rank Officials, Chen Qun looked at Cao Pi and said, "Please allow your Majesty to agree to this great system that will benefit the country and the people! If your Majesty uses this system, we will be able to unify the Wei Dynasty and create the so-called Hanzhong." The crown prince Liu Gongsi is also not worth mentioning!"

In fact, Chen Qun had already told him about this ninth-grade official law in private.

benefit
Indeed there is, but
Cao Pi was also worried about the disadvantages.

With this system in place, the gentry will definitely become bigger. When the time comes, will this Wei be the Wei of the Cao family, or the Wei of the aristocratic family?
Cao Pi wanted to refuse directly, but he rolled his eyes and said immediately: "What do you think of this system?"

He wanted to see the attitude of the officials.

Although he is the King of Wei, he cannot cover the sky with one hand, not to mention that his current position as King of Wei cannot be secure.

Cao Zhang just fled to Chang'an, but he didn't die!
Moreover, there are many doubts about Cao Zhang's ability to escape from the siege.

Cao Pi was suspicious and unconsciously thought about other aspects.Could it be that.
If I don't agree with the nine-rank official law, will the family want to invite Marquis Yanling to be the king of Wei?

Shangshu Ling Huanjie stood up immediately and said: "Before the founding of the Wei Dynasty, due to frequent wars and large population movements, local governance was quite chaotic. Although there were policies related to recommending talents, this policy was not effective when local talents were drained. It has been difficult to implement.

Therefore, by applying the Nine-Rank Officials Law, suitable officials can be properly dispatched to manage local affairs and restore local culture and customs. I hope Your Highness will adopt this system! "

Although Huan Jie was not from a noble family, he still agreed with this system.

Wu Dehoufu, oh no, Zheng Cheng, who should be called Qi Wangfu now, stood up and said: "After the previous king proposed to appoint people based on their talents, the atmosphere of talent selection was messy. Although many advisers were recruited, this method of talent selection is not the way to govern the country. It is a long-term plan, because cunning people can easily subvert the court and it is difficult to educate the local area.

Therefore, the "Nine-grade Officials Law" not only has the function of correcting current shortcomings, but also can select appropriate talents.

I think the king should implement the nine-level Zhongzheng system! "

Next, some ministers came forward to express their opinions, and basically they all agreed.

Cao Pi fixed his gaze on Cao Ren.

"What does the general think?"

When asked suddenly by Cao Pi, Cao Ren was stunned for a moment, and then said with a wry smile: "The general is a warrior who doesn't know how to govern the country. As long as the king thinks it is good, the general will definitely agree!"

Cao Ren's words actually made Cao Pi feel a lot better.

"This matter is of great importance and must be considered in the long run!"

It was difficult to refuse this matter, so Cao Pi decided to resort to procrastination.

Hearing this, Chen Qun hurriedly stepped forward and said: "There are frequent wars in the country and the national power is empty, but Han China is prosperous. If the king does not take extraordinary measures, how can he win in the era of great strife?"

"King Kuang has the great ambition to unify the world. If he wants to find a way for the people of Jiuzhou to live, he has to use this method."

Chen Qun's words are full of profound meaning.

Don’t you, Cao Pi, want to replace Han?
If you want to replace the Han Dynasty, if you don't meet the requirements of our noble clan, can you succeed with your resume of repeated defeats?
Chen Qun's words made Cao Pi frown.

"Humph!"

He snorted coldly, thinking of a bad memory from before.

At the beginning of his succession, Xiahou Dun died of illness.

At Xiahou Dun's funeral, Cao Pi wore plain clothes and led all the civil and military officials to pay their respects outside the east gate of Yecheng.

This seemingly ordinary memorial event aroused widespread criticism among the government and the public. Many people believed that Cao Pi's behavior in burying Xiahou Dun was disrespectful.

According to the previous etiquette, the king would never bury any minister easily. Even if he was buried, he would not wear plain clothes and send them out of the city in person.

Even if it is a clan with the same surname and a very high position of power, the king will usually just cry and offer sacrifices outside the ancestral temple.

The reason why all officials clung to this matter was mainly because the timing of the funeral incident was too sensitive.

At that time, it was the beginning of Cao Pi's accession to the throne, and his power status had not yet been consolidated.

First, his younger brother Cao Zhang led his army to seize power, and then there was the mutiny of Qingzhou soldiers. At this juncture, hundreds of officials brought up the old story of the Cao family's birth, which shows that most people at that time did not recognize that the Eastern Han Dynasty was replaced by a descendant of a eunuch and a beggar.

Of course, the old forces headed by everyone in the family did not dare to completely break up with Cao Pi. At most, they used trivial matters such as sending Xiahou Dun's funeral to beat Cao Pi, reminding him to protect the interests and privileges of everyone in the family, otherwise they would not be able to With the support of hundreds of officials, the emperor's position became unstable.

Cao Pi also knew this very well, so he consulted with his confidant Chen Qun and decided to compromise with the noble clans and find a way to find a link to bind the interests of the noble clans and the Cao Wei regime.

This link is the ninth-grade official law.

just
The price of this bond is really too high.

The nine-grade Zhongzheng system divides all pre-admission talents to be assessed into three, six or nine grades based on family background, virtue and talent, from top to top, top to middle, top to bottom, all the way to bottom to top, bottom to middle, bottom to bottom. The level of the grade is directly Determines the level and power of the official position.

Those above the "Second Grade" are called "high families", while those below are called "low families".

In addition, the "Zhongzheng officials" who are responsible for the appointment and removal of officials must also be officials of the second grade of Zhongzheng or above.

As a result, the aristocratic families under the high sect completely monopolized the personnel power of the entire Cao Wei government. Based on this alone, they were able to gain overwhelming influence in the government and the opposition.

"Your Majesty, we can no longer hesitate at this moment."

As a close minister of Cao Pi, Chen Qun proposed this ninth-grade official law in front of hundreds of officials in the main hall. He was also bearing huge pressure behind his back.

no way.
Cao Pi failed in the southern expedition and suffered losses in all aspects, including the nobles.

If you don't get anything on the battlefield, you can only make up for it in the Ninth Grade Officials' Law.

"The Marquis of Yanling is in Chang'an, but I don't know what kind of turmoil it will cause!"

Chen Qun was behind and added another sentence.

This sentence obviously touched Cao Pi's anger.

"We have countless good generals in Wei, but are we afraid that just one of us will rebel?"

Chen Qun just knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, please think again!"

Chen Qun knelt down. Behind him and above the court, except for the clan members, almost all the officials knelt down.

"Your Majesty, please think again!"

Hundreds of people shouted in unison, and the sound was so loud that it echoed in the hall, deafening, and went around the beams without stopping for three days.

Cao Pi was silent.

From Chen Qun's words, he understood that he couldn't even delay this matter.

Call ~
Cao Pi tried his best to calm down his emotions.

After a moment, he said feebly: "Since all the beloved ministers agree with this system, let us continue to implement the Nine-Rank Officials' Law!"

Although the Nine-Rank Officials Law has its drawbacks, it still has more benefits for the current Wei State.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the shortcomings of the "inspection and examination system" that the Han Dynasty originally relied on were clearly displayed in front of everyone, that is, "morality does not mean talent."

If a small county official is only virtuous but does not have any governance experience, then this small county official may manage this area into a mess. In peacetime, this shortcoming is not so obvious.

But in more turbulent times, the shortcomings of this method are fatal.

Why did Cao Cao's subordinates have a situation of "hordes of fierce generals and celebrities like rain"? It was because Cao Cao's employment policy was to "emphasis on talent over virtue."

The emergence of the "Nine-grade Officials Law" can be said to have broken the situation in which the "inspection and examination system" selected and promoted some show-offs who only had virtue but no talent.

And now that Cao Pi has been defeated, the people of the world are unstable.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the power of the aristocratic families was unprecedentedly powerful. Cao Cao himself also relied on the power of the gentry to stabilize the north.

Therefore, in order to stabilize the hearts of these aristocratic families, the "Nine-Rank Officials Law" can be said to hand over part of the power of elections to these aristocratic families, in exchange for these families' support for the Cao Wei regime and stabilize the situation in the north.

Moreover, the "Nine-grade Officials Law" also brought the appointment and dismissal of officials back to the central government, which also strengthened the stability of centralized power.

but.
For the benefit of the present, it will cause trouble for the future.

Is this what the hero did?
Hey~
Cao Pi sighed and thought to himself: If his father were still alive, would he allow all officials to implement these nine-level official laws?

He shook his head slightly.

My father will never agree to this strategy.

Because he can control all the officials in this palace and this noble family.

However.
He was defeated again and again, and even his position as King of Wei was almost unsafe.

He couldn't control the officials in the palace, let alone the nobles behind Cao Wei.

In order to protect oneself, to succeed Han Dynasty, and to be one of the ninety-five nobles, one had to compromise with the family.

The rest of the matter will be left to future generations to resolve.

Believe in the wisdom of future generations!
(End of this chapter)