Wei Ni

On the third day after returning to the mansion, Xiahou He came over and specially chose to come with his wife Huan around dusk.

This made Xiahou Hui and his wife very happy.

Because he also brought his eldest brother Xiahou Ji and his second brother Xiahou Gong, who were palace guards.

In addition, Xiahou Zhuang, who had originally lived in the mansion, was equivalent to the first family dinner held by Xiahou Hui after he was expelled from Anningting Marquis Mansion.

Not to mention my brother-in-law Ding Mi's family is there.

Naturally, the dinner was filled with laughter and joy. Even Xiahou Hui, who was never a drinker, accepted all the drinks and ate until he was drunk, encouraged by his teenage nephews.

The protagonist is still Xiao Quji.

His brothers liked his liveliness and activity very much. They teased him and let him run around happily. After a while, he started yawning and was taken to bed by Wang Yuanji and Huan.

After the women left the table, the nephews knew that their elders must have something to discuss, so they all crowded into Xiahou Manor's house to chat about topics that young people only know.

The banquet was then over.

Xiahou Hui asked the servants to fetch some well water to wash his face to get rid of some of his drunkenness, then he went to the study with Xiahou and Ding Mi.

After lighting the brazier and taking off his cloak, Xiahou Hui leaned back on the couch and rubbed his still dizzy head, asking slowly, "Yiquan, any news?"

The question seemed nonsensical, but Xiahou He, who was warming himself by the fire, was not surprised at all.

In the past few years, he has become much more stable and mature, and he also knows what Xiahou Hui wants to know and cares about.

"Yes. Yesterday, Minister Lu and his colleagues had already discussed and submitted it to Your Majesty. Fu Gu will be transferred to the position of Shangshu Lang, and Your Majesty is quite satisfied with this. But Chen Qian did not suggest changing his position. It seems that this is because when Sixth Brother returned to Mengjin, Your Majesty informed the Ministry of Personnel in advance and did not suggest changing Chen Qian's position."

"Yes. Does the Right Sergeant have anything to say to His Majesty?"

Xiahou Hui nodded, a glimmer of understanding flashing in his eyes.

The reason why Chen Qian's official position was not changed was simply that Emperor Cao Rui wanted Chen Qian to continue to serve as his subordinate.

Cao Rui had revealed this to him a long time ago, so it was not surprising.

Compared with the memorial of Lu Yu, the Minister of Personnel, he was more concerned about Wei Zhen's. Because of his change of official position, Cao Rui paid more attention to the suggestions of Wei Zhen, the Minister of the Right.

It is not a change from Zhenhu General to Zhonghu General.

At this point, not long after Gongsun Yuan's head was delivered to Luoyang, Jiang Ji submitted a petition to resign from the post of General of the Guard on the grounds that he had "held this position for a long time". Everyone could vaguely guess that Emperor Cao Rui wanted him to make way for Xiahou Huiteng.

What Xiahou Hui was really concerned about was what official position he could hold concurrently.

That is the key to how he can implement reforms according to the emperor's wishes.

"No."

Xiahou He shook his head. "Not only did the Right Prime Minister not report it, but even the Zhongshu Jian and the Ling, who have always abused their power to interfere in personnel appointments and dismissals, remained silent this time."

As soon as these words fell, Ding Mi's eyes dimmed a little.

Xiahou Hui told him for the first time that the idea of ​​dividing households and enfeoffment of marquises was again rejected by the officials in the court and was temporarily shelved. He even showed him the letter from his uncle Wang Su.

So, he felt a little regretful and a little guilty.

The regret, of course, was that he was looking forward to being granted a title of nobility.

It's not that a man should have the ambition to be a marquis, but the Ding family of Pei State had long been in decline and urgently needed to be a marquis to restore the reputation of their family. But now it seems that even if Xiahou Hui is willing to give up his benefactors and ask the court to confer him a title, it will still be difficult and far-reaching.

The guilt came from the fact that he felt he had implicated Xiahou Hui.

Xiahou Hui's petition to defend him sparked controversy and offended the authority of the officials in the court, casting a shadow on his own future. Even Liu Fang and Sun Zi chose to stay out of it to avoid suspicion.

"However, there is one thing that is quite intriguing."

Just when Ding Mi was about to say something, Xiahou He paused for a moment and said again, "This matter happened before you reported your victory in the Liaodong expedition, but I personally think that it may not be unrelated to you."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"Sixth brother, do you know about Brother Boyu's affairs?"

"Yes. He was sent to be a county governor because he advised His Majesty to build a large palace."

"But Sixth Brother, you must not know that Brother Boyu's old position, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, is still vacant. Not only did Your Majesty not allow the Minister of the Imperial Guards and the Minister of State to recommend a candidate, but even the Secretary of the Central Secretariat and the Order recommended a candidate with the reasons that 'important positions cannot be left vacant for long' and 'the Secretariat's affairs are complicated and need to be shared by the Secretary of the Central Secretariat', but Your Majesty did not make any comments and left it unanswered."

"In this regard, the officials in the court and my close ministers do not know why, but everyone has concluded that Your Majesty has a favorite candidate, but this candidate has an important task for the time being and should not change his position, so he is waiting for the opportunity. Therefore, I have been thinking about who Your Majesty wants in the past few months, and I have often asked my eldest brother for advice. Although there is no conclusion, since my sixth brother returned with the news of victory in Liaodong, I suddenly realized that it seems that all of your characteristics are met, and perhaps he is the person Your Majesty wants."

Xiahou He stopped talking here.

Unexpectedly, Xiahou Hui and Ding Mi looked at each other and fell into silence.

It also gave the howling cold wind outside an opportunity to dominate the movements in the study.

Because the power of the Zhongshu Shilang in the Zhongshu Province is second only to the Zhongshu Jian and Ling. Under the abuse of power by Liu Fang and Sun Zi, who are called "specialists", the power of the Zhongshu Province has now subtly surpassed that of the Shangshutai.

If Emperor Cao Rui really appointed him as the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Xiahou Hui's power would be so great that even some veteran ministers could not match it.

“This is a happy event.”

After a moment, Ding Mi broke the silence.

His eyes were blazing, his face was overflowing with joy, he clapped his hands and said with emotion, "Your Majesty has always had a special regard for Zhiquan and has promoted him many times. If, as Yiquan said, he is appointed as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Zhiquan will be in charge of the selection of military officers in the Central Army and participate in the management of the central secrets. I wonder who among the royal family and the dignitaries of the same generation can be qualified for this position!"

But Xiahou Hui was the exact opposite of him, his face was as calm as a lake.

Even Xiahou He looked a little gloomy, and reminded him, "Brother Yanjing, the Zhongshu Jian and Ling are power-hungry and have a bad reputation. They have always been criticized and rejected by knowledgeable people in the court and the public. When Brother Boyu was in office, the officials did not care about him because of his humble background, and did not take his merits and demerits seriously. But it is different for Brother Six. As a son of Qiaopei, if Brother Six takes on the position of Zhongshu Shilang and participates in the confidential affairs, he will definitely be noticed by the court and the public. If he does something, he will be controlled by these two people; if he does nothing, he will be criticized by the officials. In this case, it is better for him to take on the position of Shangshu Lang or continue to be promoted to Jieshi Zhong, which will be more comfortable."

"Yiquan is wrong!"

Ding Mi, who was in high spirits, immediately retorted, "When two blades are cut, the sharpness will be known; when two arguments are compared, the right and wrong will be revealed. Zhiquan's reputation for being upright is well known to the court and the public. If he is also appointed as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, he will act impartially. Why should he worry about being controlled by Liu and Sun? If he is impartial in his work, if it succeeds, the court and the public will praise him; if it fails, he can argue frankly, which will also let the court and the public know that Liu and Sun are wrong, and he will be praised for not yielding to the powerful. How can he be uncomfortable?"

After hearing this, Xiahou He raised his eyebrows and pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Brother Yi Yanjing's words do make sense."

"Perhaps this is what your majesty intended." Ding Mi immediately added, "In recent years, the ministers and officials have become increasingly dissatisfied with Liu and Sun's abuse of power, and have advised them from time to time. Your majesty may have noticed this, so you let Zhiquan concurrently lead the Zhongshu Province to curb Liu and Sun's arrogance."

After saying this, he and Xiahou He turned their heads and waited for Xiahou Hui's opinion.

Xiahou Hui, who was still silent, just grinned.

Because they all understood it wrong.
And it couldn't be more wrong.

Xiahou Hui knew that if Emperor Cao Rui really let him take on the position of Zhongshu Shilang concurrently, it was not to let him curb Liu and Sun's abuse of power, but to let him collude with them.

The reason is simple.

To Cao Rui, the roles of Liu and Sun were just like the eunuchs in the eyes of the previous Han emperor.

In the previous dynasty, there were three major interest groups: relatives of the emperor, eunuchs and scholars.

The three fought for power, and the Han emperor watched from the sidelines, occasionally stepping in to suppress the more powerful party.

When the imperial relatives became powerful, the emperor would support the eunuchs and scholars to take back power; when the eunuchs became too powerful, the imperial relatives and scholars would cooperate to denounce them; and when the scholars lost control, the emperor would let the eunuchs frame him and let the imperial relatives cheer him on.

After Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, replaced the Han Dynasty, he put an end to the struggle among the three parties - he reformed the official system and strictly prohibited eunuchs and the harem from interfering in government affairs.

This will certainly reduce internal friction and benefit the world.

But from the emperor's perspective, he lost the bargaining chip to curb the power of scholars.

The most fundamental reason why Liu Fang and Sun Zi became increasingly powerful, even to the point of being called "full-time officials", was that Cao Rui regarded them as eunuchs of the previous dynasty and used them as bargaining chips to curb the power of scholars.

The Xiahou and Cao clans were also one of the bargaining chips of the emperor, and their role was similar to that of the in-laws of the previous dynasty.

Nowadays, the trend of scholars and local gentry becoming more and more powerful is becoming more and more obvious. Even the military farming system during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao, has been eroded and decayed. How could Emperor Cao Rui allow Xiahou Hui to curb Liu and Sun?
in contrast.

He asked Xiahou Hui to be his assistant!
I am looking forward to the Secretariat and the Xiahou Caos advancing and retreating together, disregarding their reputation and doing everything they can to serve the centralized monarch!

So, Xiahou Hui, who had previously thought that he had already won and earned enough fame regardless of whether the court approved the division of households and enfeoffment of Ding Mi, now realized that he had lost completely.

He was just a puppet in the hands of Emperor Cao Rui.

In terms of political planning and tactics, he was like a three-year-old child in front of Emperor Cao Rui.

Therefore, he did not want to dwell on this matter too much. "This matter has not been finalized yet, so let's not discuss it for now. Yiquan, have other people taken any actions recently?"

"Not really."

Although he was somewhat puzzled as to why his sixth brother had brought up the subject, Xiahou He still answered truthfully, "Qin Lang has been concise and cautious in his words and deeds, Cao Zhao and Cao Shuang have not changed, and Xiahou Xian, who has been transferred to the post of Henan Yin, seems to be quite happy. However, Wen Qin has a lot of complaints about the sixth brother."

Wenqin?

What does he hate about me?
Xiahou Hui's eyes narrowed slightly, and he lowered his eyes for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Could it be that he knew about my recommendation of Brother Zhong?"

"Correct!"

Nodding, Xiahou He continued, "Earlier, His Majesty had asked him to supervise Yueying, but Sixth Brother recommended Second Brother to replace him. I don't know how this matter got out. After Wen Qin found out, he often told others that Sixth Brother was jealous of talented people and appointed people based on personal connections, and that he was not a good commander. After the news of the great victory in Liaodong reached Luoyang, he often cursed Sixth Brother, saying that Sixth Brother had taken away his opportunity to make achievements."

Ah!
Arrogant man!

If someone like you, who is arrogant and doesn't care about his soldiers, were to go to Liaodong, the outcome might not be decided in one battle.

However, there are really no secrets around the emperor~
Could Cao Rui tolerate even such private discussions between the emperor and his ministers being leaked?

"Does His Majesty know about this?"

"You should know."

Xiahou He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Although His Majesty never mentioned this matter, and did not reprimand Wen Qin, since then, many of the attendants who served His Majesty have never been seen again."

Killing people indiscriminately without any trial or investigation, what effect can this method have other than making everyone feel insecure?

After muttering inwardly, Xiahou Hui felt a little bored and began to feel a slight headache from drinking too much. He decided to put aside these heavy topics and ask about some trivial matters related to the family.

But Xiahou He got there first.

He first gave Ding Mi an apologetic look, and then said, "Sixth brother, this time you submitted a petition to object to the imperial court's recognition of your merits, which has caused a lot of gossip among many people."

and then?
Xiahou Hui glanced over.

He had known about this for a long time.

What happened in the imperial court could spread to all the nobles’ residences in Luoyang within a day.

As it turned out, Ding Mi, who lived in his house, had received many invitations to banquets since yesterday. Needless to say, the purpose was to get some information from Ding Mi about Xiahou Hui's subsequent actions.

"The emperor is not shy about this, and he even casually asked for the opinions of his close ministers. As far as I know, there are many debates among the officials in the Secretariat, and many people think that Sixth Brother's actions are arrogant and presumptuous, and he is reckless in discussing the court's final decision. In addition, scholars and people in the market are also gossiping, saying that Sixth Brother's actions are suspected of seeking fame and reputation and buying people's hearts."

uh~
These guys are so right!

Xiahou Hui did not deny that the purpose of his submission of objection was partly to repay Ding Mi for his dedication and partly to see if he could win over one or two people imprisoned in the "Fuhua Case" to join him.

In other words, among all those imprisoned in the Vanity Case, apart from Sima Shi and Xiahou Xuan, Ding Mi was the most outstanding person.

Why bother looking at other people?
Historically, most of these people were dependent on Cao Shuang, but in the end, none of them were useful, right?
But Xiahou Hui felt that he was definitely better at using people than Cao Shuang.

It depends on the person.

Just like Han Xin and Chen Ping, their performances were different when they served under Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.

Besides, he was desperate and was trying every possible means to cure his illness.

Among all the ministers and officials in the court, there are only a few who are on good terms with him, and the emperor Cao Rui has already recruited many concubines into his harem. With his qualifications and prestige, if he wants to gather some minions, there is no one else he can choose from except those who were imprisoned in the Fuhua case!
Even if we can't win him over, showing some goodwill now can at least give Cao Shuang some trouble, right?
After all, most of these people gathered around Cao Shuang.

"Hey, who cares about what others say!"

Xiahou Hui's face was full of calmness, and he said righteously, "I am doing this in accordance with the tradition of conferring a title of nobility for military merit. If they like to gossip, then let them do as they please. I have a clear conscience!" (End of this chapter)