Sima Yi's Three Kingdoms Collection Collection

Chapter 257 Controlling half of the Cao family (1)
Exceptional reward
"Sima Aiqing, not long ago you won a great victory in Heilinyu in the Battle of Rejecting Wu, and wiped out the traitor Meng Da within ten months. You have made great achievements in battle. It is really hard work for you!"

On the dragon bed on the imperial throne, Cao Rui's delicate and handsome face overflowed with an affectionate smile, and the expression between his brows was somewhat similar to that of the dead Empress Dowager Zhen that year - this relieved Sima Yi, who was secretly worried Come.

With a serious face, he leaned on the cypress floor, kowtowed and said: "Your Majesty Qizuo, when I first heard about Meng Da's rebellion, the old minister wanted to 'do it according to the opportunity, not to wait until the end of the day', so he 'worship the watch and do it. "Cut first and play later" is really against etiquette, and I hereby respectfully ask your majesty to punish me with a crime!"

When Cao Rui heard this, he couldn't help but startled.At first, when he heard that Sima Yi sent troops to the west to beg against Meng Da without his own approval, he thought that he did not respect him enough, so he naturally had some "pimples" in his heart.But then news came from the western front: Zhuge Liang was stationing troops in Hanzhong and wanted to join forces with Meng Da to attack east and west. , he prayed to the sky every night, wishing that the Wei army would be able to settle the chaos in Xincheng in one fell swoop!Now, Sima Yi has lived up to his expectations and returned to his teacher victoriously - how could he punish him at this time?Moreover, Zhuge Liang is still raising troops to cause trouble in the Longxi area, so he should show magnanimity, so as not to chill the hearts of the soldiers in front to kill the enemy and make contributions!

So, with his thoughts concentrated, with a smile on his face, he said eloquently: "Sima Aiqing, please die! You worry about public affairs and forget personal interests, sacrifice your life to save the country, send troops at risk, and fight hard. Trouble—this is a righteous act of public loyalty to the country, what is the crime? According to my opinion, Aiqing is not only innocent, but also has made great contributions! I want to promote you to the rank of Hushi General, on the same rank as the "Three Dukes"! , I want to make you a fake..."

When Sima Yi heard the word "fake" in the back, he couldn't help but secretly jumped: Could it be that His Majesty wants to grant me the privilege of "fake yellow axe"?As soon as this thought occurred to him, he suddenly became inexplicably excited.It turns out that the meaning of this "fake yellow axe" is that the king bestowed the minister with a golden axe as evidence, endowing him with the supreme authority of "as if I were here in person".If he can really get this privilege, he will be able to "kill and make decisions, and do everything in his hands" in the Jingxiang area!

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Taiwei Huaxin suddenly coughed heavily and interrupted Cao Rui's voice, and said coldly: "The old minister Qi Zou Your Majesty, Sima Yi, as a minister of the auxiliary government, has violated the law by arbitrarily mobilizing troops to kill first and then play." The outline of court rules and etiquette! It was only because he really cared about public affairs and neglected selfishness, and sacrificed his life to save the country, and the situation was critical at that time, so the court had no choice but to let him go ahead without approval! But after the incident, His Majesty should not give a big reward for this. According to In the opinion of the old minister, he took the capture of Yao Jing, Zheng Tuo and other [-] Shu thieves as the basis for his meritorious service, and it is enough to promote him to the general of the hussars!"

"This... this..." Cao Rui didn't expect Hua Xin to jump out of it and block it, so he couldn't help hesitating and pondering.

"Your Majesty, Lieutenant Hua's words are correct, and the veteran has nothing to say." Sima Yi saw that Cao Rui was sweating profusely, looking in a dilemma, so he could only sigh inwardly, and made a concession on his own initiative.

As soon as he said this, Cao Rui's face immediately relaxed, and he said with great joy: "Sima Aiqing is really a generation of virtuous ministers who have the overall situation in mind and are loyal to the country--I issued an edict to promote you as the General of Hussars and the Governor of Zhennan. , Commander Jing and Yuzhou's military and political affairs!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!" Sima Yi bent down and replied.

Hua Xin didn't seem to have expected that Sima Yi would restrain himself and retreat, so he looked at him deeply for a long while, his thoughts suddenly changed, and then he came out and clapped his hands and said: "The governor of Sima Yi is not frightened, loyal and loyal. Modesty and obedience are indeed admirable by the veterans. However, as far as the veterans know, Sima Shi, the eldest son of the governor of Sima, went out with his father and fulfilled his duties. The old minister hereby implores His Majesty to reward Sima Shi as the prefect of Nanyang, the official residence of the fourth rank, and the food salary of two thousand shi!"

Sima Yi lay down on the ground and listened carefully to his statement, but at the same time secretly thought quickly: This Hua Xin really has ulterior motives!On the one hand, he blocked the governor from gaining real military and political power in the open, and on the other hand, he fueled the flames in the dark, deliberately causing the negative phenomenon of "father and son in charge of the army, power in the military" in our Sima family, thus attracting the Ming Dynasty of the Cao Wei royal family for our Sima family. Guess the secret!No, just as soon as he said this, the great Sima Caoxiu who was sitting next to him couldn't help but change his expression slightly?You must be careful to deal with it yourself!Thinking of this, he straightened his face, and replied very earnestly: "Your Majesty Qizuo, Sima Shi, the son of the old minister, has only worked a little in this battle against the rebellion. How can he dare to be the prefect of Nanyang? If His Majesty and Hua Taiwei want to reward him indiscriminately, the old minister would rather resign from his Hussar General on the spot than obey!"

What he said was so forceful and resounding that even Hua Xin, who was so tricky, couldn't find any thorns.When Cao Rui heard this, he praised deeply: "Sima Aiqing is so indifferent to honor and wealth, humble and self-reliant, I really appreciate it! Anyway, I will temporarily record the reward for Sima Shi's military exploits-if there is a chance in the future , and add rewards together!"

Sima Yi hastily bowed his head to thank him, pondered for a moment, and took the initiative to play: "Your Majesty Qizuo, today the old minister is in this court, but I would like to beg you to pay attention to a humble general who has made outstanding achievements in this battle against the rebellion. This is an extraordinary reward to show His Majesty's knowledge of people!"

"Who is Ai Qing going to beg me to reward?"

"Cangcao Jizhoutai in the old minister's shogunate, he has a lot of wisdom and strategy in the eastward expedition to Xincheng this time, and his service is not small. He is worthy of the post of prefect of Xincheng County!"

As soon as Sima Yi said this, there was a faint commotion in the hall: Zhou Tai?Who is this person?Why haven't you heard of it?What's more, Governor Sima was going to recommend him as the prefect of Xincheng Dajun with an official rank of two thousand stones and a third rank!

"How is Zhou Tai's family background? How about his attainments in classics and righteousness? How about his current qualifications as an official?" Hua Xin put on a straight face, and asked Sima Yi like a cannonball, "Governor Sima, you didn't introduce him beforehand. But at this moment, begging His Majesty to offer a special reward! Is it too presumptuous?"

"This gentleman of Zhoutai was born as an orphan and outcast during the war. He taught himself "The Analects", "Xunzi" and "Grandson" and succeeded. A month ago, the old minister promoted his official rank to Cangcao. The "heart attack strategy" he presented to the old ministers in the battle against Mengda this time was indeed very effective, and this is well known to all the three armies of Jingxiang and Xiangxi. Therefore, the veterans observed it impartially and acted according to the facts. I personally recommend him to be the prefect of Xincheng County! If there is a mistake in the future, the veteran will be willing to accept the responsibility of neglect!"

When Sima Yi said this, it showed his selflessness and his lofty integrity for serving the country—how could Hua Xin refute him again?I had no choice but to close my mouth, resentful and no longer speaking.

Sitting on his side, Cao Xiu, the governor and great Sima of Zhendong, said in a strange way: "Your Majesty Qizuo, I learned from Cao Zhao, the captain of the Quanzitun cavalry school, that although this Zhoutai was born as an orphan, but He found his grandmother last year. His grandmother passed away at the end of last month. According to the court etiquette, Zhou Tai should leave his post and live in a filial piety for three years because of his grandmother's death, right? Then, he is still the prefect of Xincheng County. It can't be done..."

Sima Yi knew that Cao Xiu was looking for this excuse to squeeze out Zhoutai and promote his son Cao Zhao to be the prefect of Xincheng County, so his face turned serious, and he said calmly: "Your Majesty, in troubled times, enemy countries are fighting each other, and fighting is coming day by day. Thousands of troops are easy to come by, but good generals are hard to find! How can we stick to the rules and regulations and ignore the urgent needs of the country? The old minister hereby implores His Majesty to issue an edict to let Zhou Tai seize the position, perform his duties in plain clothes, and serve as the prefect of Xincheng! If so, then The people of Jingxiang will rejoice and be loyal to Your Majesty's wise use of talents!"

Cao Rui looked at Cao Xiu, then at Sima Yi, pondered for a while, finally flicked his sleeves, and said resolutely: "I have approved Sima Aiqing's petition today, and the Ministry of Education will immediately draw up an imperial edict, ordering Zhou Taike to follow the public order. , Duoqing reigned, and performed his duties in plain clothes, as the prefect of Xincheng, guarding the southwestern gate of the Great Wei!"

"Empty Shell" Shield
The sun had not yet set, and the fog had already filled the imperial capital of Luoyang.The wet mist became thicker and thicker, covering the sky and covering the earth, covering the last sunset glow without a trace.

It's time for a dinner in Sima's Mansion.

Today, although Sima Yi is in control of the military and is an extremely powerful minister, there are still only three dishes on the table as before: a plate of dried beef, a bowl of pea soup, and a bowl of vegetable soup.This is the dietary habit that Sima Yi developed after he became an official.Before he entered the official career, it was impossible for him to eat that plate of jerky beef, and he usually had a plate of shredded radish as an appetizer.Sima Yi's simplicity and frugality are well-known among the ruling and opposition parties.

Even when he was having dinner, Sima Yi didn't take a break - he raised his chopsticks to eat, while listening to Zhang Chunhua sitting beside him and reporting various things inside and outside the mansion and all kinds of news and intelligence from the court.

"After your husband has made great achievements in suppressing the rebellion this time and was promoted to the rank of General Hussars, almost all the officials in the court sent you congratulatory gifts in private."

"Oh? Almost all of them have been given away? Who else hasn't given away?"

"Except for that old monster Hua Xin, all the other ministers have given it away, even Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu's family have given it to you."

"Well... Some of the gifts they sent are worthy of being taken seriously, while others are not. You must have a sense of proportion in your heart, and don't think that once others give gifts and show favor, they will really do something to you Yes. However, you must write down the names of those who give gifts to your husband, no matter how high or low they are, in the future we will find opportunities to thank them ten times, one hundred times."

"Okay, I remember it. However, the gifts from some colleagues seem to be very special, and we can't return it for a while..."

"Oh? What kind of special method is it?" Sima Yi stopped delivering food to his mouth, looked up at Zhang Chunhua and asked with great interest, "Tell me and listen..."

"For example, Jia Mu, the heir of the former Taiwei Jia Xu, the prefect of Beihai County, sent a gift, but claimed that it was specially instructed by his father when he was dying that year. After the first actual battle, I will give it to you as a gift."

"Bring that gift to my husband." Sima Yi immediately put down his chopsticks and sat up straight.

Zhang Chunhua smiled lightly, pushed a long brocade box from behind, and opened it gently, and inside was a scroll of silk pictures.

Sima Yi picked up the scroll and shook it: On the top of the towering hill, a mighty, majestic, vivid white-fronted brocade tiger with hanging eyes raised its claws and swung its tail to climb up. It turned its head and roared. The red sun is rising!

"What a picture of a 'Tiger Climbing the Mountain Looking at the Sun and Crying'!" Sima Yi stared deeply at the silk picture, "It can be said that Taiwei Jia knows my heart well—this painting was collected for my husband's triumphant return. Best gift I've ever received!"

(End of this chapter)