Wei Ni

Goose-feather-like snow fell from the gray sky and was blown away by the howling strong north wind, making the mountains, fields, cities and villages disappear from people's sight.

In late December, Luoyang was hit by a heavy snowfall that lasted for several days.

Those who had to go out cursed and complained about the weather, and the elderly felt that leaving the brazier to relieve themselves was a torture. The low-ranking officials such as the head of the pavilion, the patrol officers and the miser had already prepared for their busy lives: when the snow stopped, many poor families or those with elderly people would come to report deaths.

The soldiers returning from Liaodong believed that the auspicious snow was a sign of a good harvest.

Emperor Cao Rui was known for his generosity when it came to rewards, especially when he was in a good mood.

With the fall of Gongsun Yuan, it was not only proved to some extent that Wei was the destiny of heaven, but also the territory of four counties, more than 40,000 households, and more than 300,000 people were added. This did not include the thousands of households of captives, servants, and slaves of powerful families who were pardoned by Xiahou Hui and Guanqiu Jian and returned to civilian status in order to restore the Liaodong vassal state.

Therefore, from Xiahou Hui onwards, the rewards of additional fiefs, titles and ranks were different.

Those who already had titles and households were directly added to the household register, such as Guanqiu Jian, Zhang Hu and Xu Yi.

Almost all those who did not have titles were granted the title of Guannei Hou, such as Qian Hong, Gongsun Yi, and even Chen Qian, the Sima of the Zhenhu Department who participated in the expedition for the first time. Among them, Wang Qi, Gong Zun and Liu Mao were also granted the title of prefect. Xiahou Ba was moved to the title of Marquis with a hundred households, and was appointed as the prefect of Liaodong, supervising the military affairs of the four counties of Liaodong.

As the main general, Xiahou Hui was granted an additional 1,800 households, in addition to the previous 2,300 households.

His title was also promoted from Marquis of Bochangting to Marquis of Lingzhi.

There were only a few thousand households in Lingzhi County of Liaoxi County, and the imperial court assigned all the taxes of the entire county to him.

However, the counties in the border areas were poor and the people suffered a hard life. The government often used military force instead of tax collection, and the actual taxes collected were very small, so Xiahou Hui did not actually benefit much.

Furthermore, when he was granted the title of Marquis of Ting, his land was in Bochang County of Le'an Prefecture in Qingzhou. That was because of Xiahou Yuan, and the court encouraged the son to follow in his father's footsteps.

Now they have all been relocated, and moved to Liaoxi County?

I really don't know what the officials were thinking when they made the final decision, and I have no idea what the emperor Cao Rui was thinking when he approved it!

Xiahou Hui, standing outside Luoyang City, was very puzzled.

In particular, he vaguely remembered that in history, after Sima Yi conquered Liaodong, he added a county, and it was Kunyang County in Yingchuan County, which was densely populated and had fertile land. In comparison, it was impossible to say that he did not have the greed of a snake swallowing an elephant.

Although he is not greedy for money.

But he really needs money!

Emperor Cao Rui was busy building large-scale projects, indulging in pleasure, and selecting thousands of beauties to stay in the palace. The five hundred children he secretly raised seemed too few!
However, there is also one advantage to being fiefdom in Liaoxi County.

For example, he recently received letters from Gongsun Yi and Wei Shu.

Wei Shu's content was very simple, just to inform that Jiangdong had not invaded Liaodong yet, but claimed that he would not slack off; while Gongsun Yi was full of emotion, he first had a brief account of the recent situation and then changed the subject, and began to congratulate Xiahou Hui on being promoted to the title of Lingzhi Marquis, and finally asked him directly that some of his White Horse Volunteers were tired of being constrained by the army and planned to retire, and whether they could come to join him as his followers by then?

Therefore, Xiahou Hui immediately felt that he was satisfied with having two thousand households as his feed.

Well, just two thousand households.

He came straight to the palace this time, partly because it was customary to meet the emperor to express gratitude and listen to his teachings, and partly because he planned to resign from the Three Hundred Households.

Emperor Cao Rui hinted to him to compete with the officials in the court.

If I can't help Ding Mi get rid of the restrictions on his career~
Then let's settle for the next best thing and give Ding Mi a share of his own fiefdom and make him a marquis!
I think the officials in the court would not give the meritorious officials who defeated the rebels and brought glory to the country a single face, right? Would they even deprive them of the opportunity to give credit to their subordinates and build up their reputation?

Moreover, this is just a division of his fiefdom, and it will not cost the State of Wei any benefit!

Perhaps the attendants had been informed in advance, and Xiahou Hui only waited for half a quarter of an hour after knocking on the palace gate before he was led to the Nine Dragon Palace by the emperor's attendants who came in a hurry.

It was already afternoon, why did the emperor summon me to the Nine Dragon Palace?

The scenery of Tianyuan Lake and Fanglin Garden is dilapidated in winter, but are you tired of boating and feasting on Lingzhi Lake?
Could it be that the emperor has recently regained the diligence he had at the beginning of his reign?
If so, how great it would be~
Familiar route, here we are.

Compared with the previous Chonghua Rear Hall, the newly rebuilt and renamed Jiulong Hall is more magnificent.

The foundation of the palace is more than ten feet high, and the nearly one hundred stone steps stretch out to symbolize the strict hierarchy, making the palace itself look extremely majestic and solemn. Its scale is not as large as the Taiji Hall, but the exquisite jade well railings, toads in the mouth, and dragons spitting out of the hall are comparable to it.

Naturally, the cost of the two is almost the same.

Emperor Cao Rui is now outside the palace.

From the trivialities such as the fact that he was wearing a cloak and the attendants holding a curved umbrella, carrying a heating stove and incense, and serving warm wine by his side, we can see that he was appreciating the freedom of snowflakes like catkins blowing in the wind and the loneliness of the city wrapped in silver, instead of making a special trip out of the palace to welcome him to show the emperor's honor for the return of the meritorious official.

Xiahou Hui didn't count on it either.

It was just the destruction of Gongsun of Liaodong, not the destruction of Shu or Wu. This achievement was not enough to justify the emperor's demotion.

He took off the sword at his waist and handed it to the guard, then quickly climbed the stairs and bowed in front of Qugai, "I, General Hui, pay my respects to Your Majesty. Thanks to Your Majesty's great blessing, I, Hui, have been able to defeat the Liaodong bandits and have fulfilled my mission."

"Hahaha, get up, get up!"

Cao Rui was in a very good mood, so he came over and helped Xiahou Hui up. He also personally brought a cup of wine to give to Xiahou Hui to show his favor, and said earnestly, "In the past, General Zhengxi marched to the right of the pass. Now, Zhiquan first defeated the Hulu and Xianbei and then pacified the rebellious Liaodong, making the northern border safe from danger from now on. It can be said that Zhengxi will not die! It is also a blessing for our Wei Dynasty! I will give you a cup of wine to boost the voice of our 'tiger minister'! Come, drink to the saint!"

"I am humbled and terrified. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

Bowing again to show his humility and gratitude, Xiahou Hui took the warm wine with both hands and drank it all.

“Great.”

With a smile like the spring breeze on his face, Cao Rui looked Xiahou Hui up and down, "Zhiquan has been in this bitter cold place for more than a year, but he has not been affected by the wind and frost, and has become more majestic."

Without waiting for Xiahou Hui to answer, he turned his head and fixed his gaze on one person, and asked with a little complacency, "My Lord, how about the husband I have chosen for your daughter?"

It turned out that Wang Su, who was still a close minister to the emperor, was also there.

A bunch of attendants were busy at work, and Xiahou Hui couldn't glance around casually in front of the emperor, so he didn't notice it for a while.

Upon hearing the question, Wang Su smiled gently, nodded to Xiahou Hui who was bowing, and then answered, "Your Majesty is far-sighted and wise, and everyone in the court and the country knows it. Why are you asking this question now?"

As expected, this rhetorical question made Emperor Cao Rui happy again.

While Wang Su was smiling, he saw Xiahou Hui still in military uniform with messy hair and wrinkled and dirty uniform. He paused and added, "There is only one shortcoming, which is that Zhiquan is careless. Now that he has come to see the emperor, he has not adjusted his appearance first, which is a violation of the emperor's will."

"Hey, Wang Qing is too harsh."

Cao Rui waved his hand, not taking it seriously. "Your Majesty, your family has inherited poetry and literature, and you know little about military affairs. It is common for soldiers to be in tattered uniforms when they go to war. Zhiquan is considered lucky." After saying this, he seemed to come to his senses, and smiled again, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I know Zhiquan well, and I don't think he is doing this to gain credit."

Wang Su smiled when his thoughts were revealed, but he said nothing. But soon, his heart, which had just been relieved, rose to his throat.

"Zhi Quan, what do you think of my newly built Nine Dragon Palace?"

Because Cao Rui was in a good mood, he even took Xiahou Hui for a walk. When he asked in a boastful tone, Xiahou Hui did not cater to his wishes, "Your Majesty, I think that the Nine Dragon Hall is more magnificent, gorgeous, and grand than the previous Chonghua Rear Hall, but it is also too extravagant. Last year, when I was in Liaoxi, I saw many soldiers of the Youzhou border army who had to huddle together to keep warm at night because they did not have enough winter clothes, and many of them had frostbite and died."

As the answer came down, the severe cold of late winter once again descended outside the temple.

Even though the heat from the countless stoves around was still rising, it couldn't be driven away. The many attendants beside him were silent, with their heads lowered and their breath held, not daring to make a sound.

Cao Rui's smile suddenly froze on his face, his eyes turned cold, and his voice became even colder, "General Zhenhu, are you accusing me of being extravagant and careless about my soldiers and the common people?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not criticize you."

Xiahou Hui bowed and replied directly, "I am only fulfilling my duty as a minister and reporting to Your Majesty everything I have seen and heard, no matter how big or small."

"Oh! Such a good duty as a subject!"

Cao Rui laughed in anger, his voice and expression were stern, "General Zhenhu thinks you have done a great job in defeating the enemy, but don't you fear the crime of treason?"

"Your Majesty, I have no such intention."

"Thunderbolts and raindrops are all grace from the emperor. Hui has been receiving a salary from the emperor for a long time and has not lacked grace, so he should also be prepared to face the wrath of thunderbolts."

Cao Rui said nothing more, but his eyes became more ferocious.

Xiahou Hui, who still maintained a bowed posture, showed no fear and was calm.

Wang Su, who was standing beside him, turned his head away helplessly and closed his eyes.

Shuzi!

Couldn't you be more tactful?

Can't you find a private meeting with the emperor to give your advice?
When the emperor was in high spirits, you gave him a wake-up call and criticized him in public! Isn't this arrogant? Although it is difficult to change one's nature and honest advice is unpleasant to the ear, you are a man with children, so don't you still think about your family and be careful about what you say and do!
In a moment, the anger in Wang Su's heart was like an indefatigable tide, one wave after another.

But he also knew that in this situation, if he spoke out to smooth things over, the situation would only make things worse, so he simply closed his eyes, too lazy to watch the scene where the emperor brought down his thundering wrath.

But he was still uneasy, and it seemed as if a long time had passed. He did not hear the sound of the emperor's angry decree. He opened his eyes a little in surprise and stole a glance at Cao Rui's face.

Cao Rui, who was originally furious, saw his hostility visibly disappearing from his face. His brows began to slowly relax and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

Huh?
Wang Su immediately opened his eyes wide.

He had been a close minister to the emperor since he started his career, and was quite familiar with Cao Rui's temper, but to be honest, he had never seen Cao Rui so moody!

"Hahaha~"

"Sure enough, the character of the reckless officials in the imperial court has not changed at all!"

"Well, very good!"

Just when Wang Su was in doubt, the emperor's hearty laughter rang out again, and he patted Xiahou Hui's shoulder affectionately and praised her.

What's happening here?
Is the emperor like King Wei of Qi who was happy to hear criticism?

Or was it that the emperor's favor towards Zhiquan had reached the point where he didn't mind being criticized to his face?
Even Wang Su, who was quite shrewd, was speechless for a moment.

The other attendants beside them had dazed eyes and expressions of disbelief.

You know, normally the emperor would execute his servants for trivial matters. Now he was criticized in person by Xiahou Hui, who was neither a senior elder nor an old minister. It would have been fine if he didn't get angry, but he actually praised him?

Is it because of the heavy snow and wind that we don't know whether the golden crow rose from the west today? !

But they didn't remain confused for long.

The low-ranking attendants soon continued to get busy, and at the emperor's instruction, brought a seat for Xiahou Hui to sit down.

The only change was that their demeanor became more respectful and humble.

Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, and his unpredictable mood means that their lives will be even more difficult in the future.

Wang Su quickly regained his composure.

It was a good thing that the emperor did not show any wrath, and after years of experience in officialdom, he vaguely guessed that the emperor seemed to be hinting something to Xiahou Hui.

So he finally let go of his worries.

As a close minister~
The most important thing is to learn to shut up.

For example, there are some things that the emperor does not say clearly, and even if you guess it, you have to pretend not to know, and you must not interfere.

Especially since Xiahou Hui was a descendant of Qiaopei and was no different from a member of the royal family.

Cao Rui and Xiahou Hui performed the drama in tacit understanding, without caring about the feelings of others being frightened by them. Now they were sitting opposite each other, talking about the past wars in Liaodong with great interest.

The king asks, and the minister answers.

The emperor sometimes clapped his hands in praise, sometimes burst into laughter; Xiahou Hui occasionally said "It is thanks to Your Majesty's divine power", and occasionally declared with a solemn face "Our Wei Kingdom is the destiny of heaven, and the treacherous ministers and rebels will surely die." The scene of harmony between the monarch and his subjects was so harmonious that even the snowflakes flying in the sky were infected and became exceptionally light and lively.

The conversation between the two ended only when a eunuch walked quickly into the hall and announced that the ministers had reached a conclusion on the matter and asked the emperor to make the final decision.

"That's all for today."

The emperor stood up with a happy face, and said slowly, "Zhi Quan has been diligent in the king's affairs and has been away from home for nearly two years. I will not keep Zhi Quan to dine with me. Let him go home to see his wife and children first."

"Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."

Xiahou Hui, who also stood up, bowed to express his gratitude and immediately took out a piece of cloth from his sleeve, "Your Majesty, regarding the decision of the imperial court to record the merits of the people who conquered Liaodong, I have objections. I have the audacity to make a memorial to your majesty for your review."

"Ah."

"Take it to the gentlemen for discussion."

Cao Rui did not look at it, but just nodded to signal the attendant to take it into the hall, and the smile in the corner of his eyes became more and more obvious. (End of this chapter)