Wei Ni

Xiahou Heng is not good enough in literature to govern the country, nor is he good enough in military strength to keep the country stable.

In people's eyes, he is just an ordinary person with good character.

But in Xiahou Hui's eyes, his elder brother was well versed in the ways of being an official and was an expert in guessing the emperor's thoughts.

For example, his previous attempt to establish the post of commander of the central army was the result of Xiahou Heng's teaching.

The cause of the incident was that after he went to Chen Mansion to pay his respects to Lord Wen Chang last year, he asked Xiahou Heng to help find out the person behind Shi Jian. Xiahou Heng agreed and wrote a letter to give him some instructions.

In the letter, Xiahou Hui was first praised for his good treatment of Shi Jian.

I am very pleased to say that my sixth brother has already known how to gain the trust of the king as a lone minister.

But then he changed the subject and claimed that such actions were only temporary, the matter faded from people's sight, and Emperor Cao Rui also forgot about it.

In order to gain Cao Rui's continued trust, you need to learn one thing: ask for power appropriately.

That is, when being granted responsibilities, one must remember to ask Emperor Cao Rui for some benefits and appropriately show a little selfishness.

This kind of advice seems outrageous at first glance.

As a subject, you should always demonstrate your loyalty to the king and show your obedience and willingness to be asked for whatever the king wants!
How can I reveal my selfish motives and make the king suspicious?
But if you think about it carefully, you will feel that Xiahou Heng's advice really shows his deep understanding of human nature!

Xiahou Heng didn't know what Emperor Cao Rui intended Xiahou Hui to do; but he could guess that Cao Rui had trained and promoted Xiahou Hui from a commoner to an important official in just a few years, and his ambition must be great!

Cao Rui had great ambitions, so if he wanted things to go smoothly, he had to delegate a lot of power to Xiahou Hui.

As such, due to his imperial mentality, he would inevitably become suspicious of Xiahou Hui, worrying that Xiahou Hui would be out of his control in the future and become a double-edged sword that would hurt others and himself.

Therefore, if Xiahou Hui wants to reduce Cao Rui's suspicion to the lowest level, he must strive to achieve "the emperor's ministers are not blinded, and the emperor's heart is simple."

To put it bluntly, it was to make Cao Rui feel that everything was still under control.

Occasionally showing his selfishness and appropriately seeking personal gain was to let Cao Rui know what he wanted and expected, and to believe that he was controllable and had no further ideas.

After all, the Wei State was established to replace the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, the king of Wei would not think that there are people in the world who are loyal for no reason and unwavering; he would not dare to believe that there are people in the world who do not seek personal gain or power.

They will only be wary of the story of Wang Mang, who was hailed as a saint by people at that time before he usurped the throne.

Cao Cao, who did not dare to forget the oath of trampling on the white horse, was conferred titles of duke and king and laid the foundation of Cao Wei, only had the earliest ambition to have "The Tomb of Cao Hou, the Former General of the Western Expedition of Han Dynasty" engraved on his tombstone.

It's not easy to be a lone minister.

A lone minister who is suspected by the king is doomed to die.

Xiahou Heng didn't want his sixth brother to end up in a miserable state and become a rag that was thrown away after use.

Even the second Chao Cuo.

Therefore, his advice to Xiahou Hui in the letter showed no loyalty to the emperor at all, and every word was explaining how to seek personal gain and engage in despicable deeds.

Although Xiahou Hui felt that this made sense, he still had a glimmer of hope in his heart.

Because over the years, Emperor Cao Rui treated him really well.

Not only did he tolerate his recklessness, rudeness and disrespect to his superiors, but he also showed favor and cultivated him carefully, and promoted him above his level many times.

Therefore, with the idea of ​​giving it a try, he prepared a plan early on, and when the time was right, he tried it out by asking for the establishment of a central military supervisory post.

Then, try it
When he heard Emperor Cao Rui say, "I believe you," his heart suddenly turned cold and he died completely.

Zhou Gong was afraid of rumors, and Wang Mang remained courteous.

Xiahou Hui himself didn’t dare to believe in himself, so how could Cao Rui believe him?

Haha~
If you really trust me, you should be frank and tell me clearly what powers I can exercise on behalf of the Central Army and announce it to the court and the public, instead of just saying "I trust you" perfunctorily!
Otherwise, when I am impeached by court officials in the future for "excluding dissidents and forming a clique for personal gain", I will have no way to prove my innocence; and it will also provide a basis for you to put me in jail and convict me at any time!

Alas, as expected, it is my elder brother who sees things clearly.

With a sigh in his heart, Xiahou Hui tried hard to suppress his injustice, pretended to be grateful, stood up and bowed, "Your Majesty's trust, I will not let you down!"

"Well, I've already said it, no need to be polite."

Emperor Cao Rui held out his hand and said, "Get up, get up. Zhiquan is a descendant of Qiaopei, and we share the same joys and sorrows. There is no need to doubt yourself. In the future, do not ask to be inspected again."

"only!"

Xiahou Hui stood up and said, "Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered in my heart."

Cao Rui nodded slightly and said nothing else. Instead, he called the servant on duty outside to bring food.

It was almost noon at this time. Seeing this, Xiahou Hui said goodbye and said, "Your Majesty, I have just taken office and I need to take care of all the affairs myself. I will leave the palace now."

For him, the honor of being given a banquet by the emperor was already commonplace.

Moreover, there were too many rules and regulations when eating with the emperor, and it was quite restrictive, so even the delicacies from land and sea tasted like chewing wax.

"Zhi Quan is not in a hurry."

Unexpectedly, Cao Rui raised his hand to stop him, "I am letting you into the palace this time, and I have something else to tell you."

Oh, no, just keep me for dinner.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Xiahou Hui said respectfully, "Yes. Your Majesty, please give your instructions."

"It's about the time to start the investigation of the families of scholars. I want to do it in March." Cao Rui stared at Xiahou Hui with a sharp gaze and said, "Zhi Quan knows that the investigation of the families of scholars has always faced a lot of resistance in the court. Last time, I made a unilateral decision and let Yang Shizhong take charge of this matter, but it ended up in nothing. Now, if you want to bring up the old matter again, you must have a reason."

The reason why nothing came of it was not because Yang Fu was incompetent, but because of you.
Xiahou Hui couldn't help but complain in his heart.

But soon, he grasped the key point——

In the third month of spring, we can have a legitimate reason to investigate the affairs of the scholars' families.

It also meant that he only had less than a month to inspect the low-ranking military officers of the Luoyang Central Army.

He immediately said, "Your Majesty, I am afraid that it will be difficult for me to deal with the central army in less than a month."

"Don't worry, Zhiquan. I have thought about this matter before."

But before he could finish his words, Cao Rui raised his hand to interrupt him, "Things have different priorities. As for the inspection of the lower-ranking generals in the central army, Zhiquan can take his time. However, the best time to investigate the families of the scholars is in March. Well, by then I will announce to the world that the new era, the new calendar, and the official calendar will be established."

Determine the correct date?
Xiahou Hui suddenly realized.

The issue of changing the orthodox calendar was discussed during the reign of Emperor Wen of Wei and Cao Pi.

When Cao Pi ascended the throne, he did not change the official system because he received the throne from the Han Dynasty, to show that he was a descendant of the Han Dynasty. Later, because of several expeditions to Jiangdong, he did not pay attention to the "fate of the kingdom" of Wei.

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Now in the first month of the year, Shanchi County in Taishan Commandery submitted a memorial saying that a yellow dragon had appeared. The Grand Historian Gao Tanglong then submitted a memorial stating that the yellow dragon had appeared because Wei had enjoyed the virtue of the land, and that it was appropriate to change the calendar and the clothing colors.

Cao Rui was quite interested and ordered the ministers to discuss the matter.

All the officials agreed.

So they began to discuss the details of the regulations such as the calendar, clothing, sacrifices, and sacrifices. Now that Cao Rui has announced that he will change the era name in March, it seems that all the details have been finalized.

Changing the reign title was indeed a good excuse to restart the investigation of the scholar families.

When all things are new, the emperor is willing to rectify the government and restart the pending old affairs. Isn't this a manifestation of his diligence and hard work?
Which court official dared to refute at this critical juncture?

"only."

After realizing it, Xiahou Hui vowed, "I will obey your order and try my best to properly handle the matter of judging, dismissing and transferring the lower-ranking officers in the central army before March, so as not to delay the investigation of the military families."

"Um"

Cao Rui snorted slightly and remained silent for a while, as if he was considering something in his mind. But in the end, he said nothing, but just waved his hand, signaling Xiahou Hui to leave.

Is there something else that cannot be told?
Xiahou Hui muttered to himself and was about to say goodbye, but suddenly his mind moved and he hesitated, and when he saw Cao Rui noticed something and glanced at him, he said, "Your Majesty, I'm leaving," bowed and took small steps back.

as predicted.

Just when he had taken a few steps back and had not yet turned around to leave the fishing platform, Cao Rui's voice was heard.

"Zhi Quan, please wait."

"Yes. I wonder if Your Majesty has any other instructions?"

"Zhi Quan wanted to speak but stopped, as if he still had something to say to me?"

"Don't dare."

"But it doesn't matter."

"Yes. I dare to say this. Today, the world is not at peace. The safety of the country depends on your Majesty. I hope your Majesty will restrain yourself and take care of yourself for the sake of the country."

After a while, the attendants led the eunuchs to bring the meal.

However, Emperor Cao Rui, who had been hungry for a long time, was indifferent to the delicious food. Instead, he stood up and stood at the balcony, with his hands behind his back, looking at the birds on the surface of the Ganoderma lucidum pond, wondering what he was thinking.

The north wind in mid-February was still strong, and it soon cooled down the steaming delicacies.

The eunuch who was serving the meal looked young and must have been newly promoted to serve the emperor. He said in a mysterious voice, "Your Majesty has a poor appetite. Do you want to call the concubines to sing and dance?"

Cao Rui did not respond, his expression remained unchanged.

Even when he walked out of the Diaotai Pavilion and passed by the Huben, he still gave the order, "Drag him away and beat him to death."

"only."

The Huben looked calm.

Cao Rui had executed his servants and eunuchs for trivial matters many times, and they had long been accustomed to it.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life~"

Accompanied by miserable cries for mercy, the emperor's carriage left the palace and headed for the Beimangshan Manor.

He had no eunuchs accompanying him, no close ministers summoned to accompany him, and even the tiger guards who usually accompanied him were not brought with him. He only had the armed guards to protect him.

The predecessor of Wuwei was the Tiger Guards led by Xu Chu, which were mainly composed of grassroots knights.

The reason for the later name change was not only because Cao Pi ascended the throne, but also because he included the guards of his own residence in it.

Cao Pi was good at fencing and learned from Henan swordsman Shi A.

Most of his personal guards when he was in the palace were Shi A's disciples, guests and friends who were good at martial arts.

When Cao Rui ascended the throne, these military guards were divided into two parts.

Some of them still held posts in the palace, while others were incorporated into the school affairs, with their base located in the Beimangshan Manor. (End of this chapter)