Chapter 143: Enriching the Harem
"Me? Yuzhou?" Jiang Ji pointed at himself and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, don't you want the governor to lead the army? I also want some military merits to benefit my descendants, so please don't harm me."
Sima Yi shook his head slightly and said, "After becoming the Central Guard General, you are different from before. Giving you a large state would be considered harming you."
Jiang Ji said: "I just want to make military achievements, I don't have any other ideas."
"I have never heard Your Majesty mention the post of Yuzhou Governor." Sima Yi stroked his beard and said, "It seems that Your Majesty is planning to select someone from the court to take the post."
"If the court chooses, it will be even harder to guess." Jiang Ji sighed lightly, "I have been in office as the Central Guard for more than two months. Although I have the power to select military officers, I have never had the opportunity to perform my duties. Instead, I have been used as a counselor."
Sima Yi said: "Are counselors not good? According to your Majesty's style of doing things, counselors will surely be rewarded."
Jiang Ji changed his posture and leaned on the seat: "In front of you, Sima Sikong, what are our rewards? Just as Cao Xiu's reward is definitely the highest among all the generals, Zhongda, your reward is definitely the highest among the civil officials."
Sima Yi nodded slightly but said nothing.
After a while, Jiang Ji said, "Zhongda, have you heard? Today, Cao Tai sent Sun Quan's daughter to Shouchun for Your Majesty."
Sima Yi said: "When did this happen? I have a lot of official business today and I don't have time to take care of this."
"It happened in the afternoon." Jiang Ji explained: "I heard that Cao Tai captured this woman during his raid on Wankou. She was Sun Quan's eldest daughter, Sun Luban."
"What did Your Majesty do? Did he marry this woman?" Sima Yi asked with raised eyebrows.
"That's not the case." Jiang Ji said, "I just took her as my maid."
Sima Yi nodded and said, "Your Majesty, you deposed Concubine Yu earlier. Now there is only Concubine Mao in the harem. It is time to add some more. However, the daughter of the Sun family is a rebellious daughter after all. Even if she is admitted into the palace, she should not be given a high position."
"Is it your business?" Jiang Ji said with a smile, "After entering the palace, every move you make will be considered a royal secret. Whether you become a concubine or a maid, it is all your Majesty's business."
Sima Yi looked at Jiang Ji and said, "It's none of your business. But Your Majesty should take in more wives and concubines. Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen are two rough men who don't see this. As an assistant minister appointed by the late emperor, I have the responsibility to assist in government affairs. It's time for me to suggest that Your Majesty expand the harem."
Jiang Ji asked: "When do you plan to tell him? His Majesty will go on a tour tomorrow, and we will both be returning north by boat, so we are not on the same route at all."
Sima Yi said: "Since Your Majesty has not yet decided when to return to Luoyang, I will give you my advice tomorrow morning."
Jiang Ji said, "Do you have any candidates? The two people, Yu and Mao, whom the late emperor had asked for Your Majesty, are both from Henei County."
Sima Yi shook his head: "I just proposed this matter. Do you still want me to be a matchmaker? I don't have the face to do that."
"But..." Sima Yi said, "I would like to propose a marriage for Ziyuan. Zitong, what do you think of Xiahou Shang's daughter, Xiahou Hui? She is already sixteen years old."
Jiang Ji glanced at Sima Yi and said, "You are probably thinking about Cao Zhen and Xiahou Xuan, right? Xiahou Xuan and Xiahou Hui's mother is Cao Zhen's biological sister, and Xiahou Xuan is so outstanding in Luoyang, and now His Majesty has taken a fancy to him."
Sima Yi stood up and picked the wicks of several lamps on the table, and the light in the room became slightly brighter.
"So what?" Sima Yi said, "Is it wrong to choose a good in-law for my son? I also heard that before leaving for Luoyang, Xiahou Xuan took his sister to see the stone scriptures of the Imperial Academy, and Ziyuan and this girl even met and talked."
"Hahahaha." Jiang Ji laughed: "It seems that your son is smarter than you."
Sima Yi also smiled and said, "It should be so."
Jiang Ji nodded: "It is enough to have one outstanding person in a generation. Your brother Shuda is far inferior to you. It seems that among your descendants, you still have to rely on Ziyuan in the future."
Sima Yi said: "If not Ziyuan, who else can we rely on? But Ziyuan still lacks experience. After two years of studying in the Imperial College, we can arrange for him to serve as an official."
"We should first see what kind of future your majesty is willing to give to the students of the Imperial College." Jiang Ji said, "But we will be returning tomorrow. Xiahou Xuan is Xiahou Hui's elder brother. Why don't we call Xiahou Xuan over and ask him first?"
Sima Yi nodded: "Not bad. I guess after asking Xiahou Xuan, he will still ask his uncle Cao Zhen."
……
The next morning, the mighty land and sea troops were about to set out from Shouchun. The emperor himself led 5,000 cavalrymen on the tour, while the rest of the central army prepared to return to Luoyang by water.
Sima Yi and other court officials were also going to return to Luoyang.
Just as the ministers were preparing to escort the emperor northward by land, Sima Yi stepped out in front of the crowd and walked in front of the emperor.
Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that the emperor's offspring is also a matter of great importance to the state. Now that I am about to return to the court, I would like to advise Your Majesty on this matter. Your Majesty can enrich the harem to expand the heirs. Please consider this matter."
Cao Rui was about to get on the car, but was stopped by Sima Yi's words.
Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi with a smile on his face: "Sikong, are you afraid that I will marry Sun Quan's daughter?" "How dare I?" Sima Yi shook his head slightly: "I am also considering Your Majesty."
Cao Rui did not want to talk too much about this matter under the gaze of all the ministers, so he said: "I know. After the prime minister returns to Luoyang, he can report this to the queen mother and let her consider it before making any decision."
Sima Yi bowed and saluted: "I obey your order."
After a short while, the emperor's troops marched north with full ceremonial guards. Once the emperor had set out, the rest of the central army also began to move out.
Cao Rui originally wanted to rest in the carriage for a while, but even though the carriage had been improved many times, it still made people feel as if their bones were about to break after driving for a whole morning.
It’s better to ride a horse.
The four imperial attendants had no choice but to follow the emperor on horseback, as was their duty, and the two imperial guards, Jiang Wei and Xiahou Xuan, did the same.
After walking for an hour and stopping to rest, Xiahou Xuan rode his horse closer and seemed to want to say something.
Xiahou Xuan dismounted, saluted to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to ask you."
"What do you want from me?" Cao Rui looked at Xiahou Xuan's slightly conflicted expression.
Xiahou Xuan gathered his thoughts and said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister summoned me to his residence last night. He said that his eldest son Sima Shi is still unmarried, and my sister Xiahou Hui is also unengaged."
"Sikong is interested in your Huier?" Cao Rui asked with a smile.
Xiahou Xuan nodded: "Sikong also asked me to think about it first, and then go home and ask my mother before I return to Luoyang."
Cao Rui said, "Why ask your mother? The Minister of Works asked you to ask the general. You are one of the smartest people in Luoyang City, how come you can't figure this out?"
Xiahou Xuan was only 18 years old, no matter how smart he was. According to common sense, Xiahou Xuan's father, Xiahou Shang, had passed away, so his sister should have asked for her brother's opinion on her marriage. But didn't Xiahou Xuan have any experience?
Xiahou Xuan's face turned red. "After Sikong told me about this last night, I really didn't think of asking the general. I will ask Your Majesty today when I have time."
Cao Rui nodded. Xiahou Xuan was also a relative of the Cao family, and he asked himself if there was anything wrong with the emperor.
However... Cao Rui seemed to remember that in the original history, Sima Shi had changed several wives, and Xiahou Hui herself did not have a good ending at all.
But this is just a private matter between officials. It has no impact on me or the country. Do I want to interfere in such a matter? Do I really want to interfere in the fate of such an individual?
Seeing that the emperor was silent for a moment, Xiahou Xuan seemed to start to panic.
After a moment, Cao Rui sighed softly and said, "Well, I think we should ask your mother and the general about this matter. After we return to Luoyang, they will give you the result and then come and tell me."
Xiahou Xuan bowed and left. But Cao Rui did not stop thinking.
Cao Rui had always been cautious about Sima Yi. Since the young Sima Shi had not yet entered the government, he would never be able to do so. As for whether Xiahou Hui should marry Sima Shi...
Just let Xiahou Xuan and Xiahou Hui choose for themselves!
The return journey was much slower than the outbound journey. The team moved at a leisurely pace, only fifty miles a day, far less than the eighty miles a day on the outbound journey.
It took seven or eight days for the emperor's touring team to arrive in Qiao County.
Although the Cao family became a royal family, not all of them moved to Yecheng or Luoyang. Some of them stayed in their hometown in Qiao County. Since the emperor returned to his hometown, there were naturally banquets waiting for him every night with his relatives.
"Have you really seen the Yellow Dragon?" When Cao Rui was slightly tipsy at the banquet, he heard a local curiosity.
But with the prosperity of the Cao family and the passage of time, this strange story became more and more like a prophecy.
"How could I lie to Your Majesty?" An old man in his seventies said to the emperor with wide eyes. This man was called Cao Ping, and according to seniority, he was Cao Cao's cousin.
"If I remember correctly, it happened when I was young, in the fifth year of Xiping." Cao Ping didn't know whether he had drunk too much or was excited to talk to the emperor, he stood up in the banquet and gestured with his hands open: "A yellow dragon that big flew in the sky when it rained, shuttling back and forth in the clouds. Most people in Qiao County have seen it."
This is a bit outrageous. However, traveling to this era is the most outrageous thing. A yellow dragon flying in the sky seems to be within the acceptable range.
Cao Rui looked at Liu Ye, and Liu Ye, who was like a "brain trust" beside the emperor, also cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, this matter has spread widely in the Wei Dynasty."
"Everyone says that at that time, Guanglu Dafu Qiao Xuan once asked the Grand Historian about this matter. The Grand Historian said that a king would rise in Qiao County and would appear again within fifty years. Before the change of the first year of Huangchu, the Yellow Dragon appeared in Qiao County again."
"The previous emperor changed the era name to Huangchu, which was partly due to the yellow character in 'Huanglong'. The rest of the explanation is related to the fact that the earth virtue of the Wei Dynasty replaced the fire virtue of the Han Dynasty."
(End of this chapter)
