Chapter 149 The storm is surging
Chenliu and Yongqiu are both big cities in the Central Plains. Although the roads between the two cities are unobstructed, they are not as well built as the roads around Sili.
The carriage was swaying as it moved, and the two people sitting inside, Cao Zhi, the Prince of Yongqiu, and Huang Xiu, the Prime Minister, were also swaying along with the swaying of the carriage.
Yongqiu was only fifty miles away from Chenliu, and Cao Zhi, the Prince of Yongqiu, set out from Yongqiu before daybreak. It was almost noon when Cao Zhi and his party arrived outside the city of Chenliu.
Since Cao Cao's death and Cao Pi's ascension to the throne, Cao Zhi's previous dandy arrogance has been restrained a lot.
The servants and guards of the Yongqiu Palace totaled no more than 200 people, most of whom were old, weak, sick, and disabled. Being able to gather a team of 20 people to accompany him to Chenliu was already a great honor for Cao Zhi.
As they got closer to Chenliu City, Cao Zhi's nervousness gradually rose to his throat.
Although their relationship with the previous emperor Cao Pi was very tense, they were brothers from the same mother after all. They had known each other for twenty or thirty years, and they had a common mother, Empress Dowager Bian, who mediated between them. The relationship between the two brothers did not reach the point where one could only survive but one.
But the current emperor is the son of the previous emperor. I have a relationship with the previous emperor, but I have no relationship with the current emperor! I haven't even seen him for more than ten years.
Cao Zhi tentatively asked the Prime Minister Huang Xiu: "Mr. Huang, we are now outside the city of Chenliu. But I really know very little about the current emperor. Is there anything you can teach me?"
Although Cao Zhi was a legitimate prince, he never put on airs when dealing with his prime minister, always addressing him as "I" instead of "I".
Huang Xiu was a native of Changshan, Jizhou. After Cao Zhi was relocated to Yongqiu, he accepted the order of the court and served as the prime minister of Cao Zhi's Yongqiu State.
The previous emperor Cao Pi was always on guard against the royal kings. Not only did he appoint the two positions of Regent and Defense Assistant to supervise the kings, but he also chose people who were loyal to the court as prime ministers.
The same is true for Huang Xiu.
Although everyone has a preset position, this position may change over time.
Since the Han Dynasty, counties and kingdoms have existed in parallel. The county governor was an undisputed official of the 2,000-stone rank, and the prime minister, who ruled a county as his kingdom, was also an official of the 2,000-stone rank.
But Cao Zhi's Yongqiu State was only a county, and the prime minister Huang Xiu was only a 1,000-stone official.
The contrast between the title of 'Prime Minister' and the rank of 'Thousand Stones' is quite strange.
If I must make an analogy, it is like in later generations there is an official who is called the mayor, but he is only the mayor of a county-level city.
Over the years, the Luoyang court, apart from urging the prime minister to supervise Cao Zhi and prevent him from having any improper thoughts, seemed to be completely indifferent to the performance evaluation and governance of Yongqiu State.
Of course, there was no intention of promoting or rewarding Huang Xiu.
The Emperor is far away, but the King of Yongqiu is close.
In addition, Huang Xiu was also a studious person. After several years of contact with Cao Zhi, he increasingly felt Cao Zhi's talent and literary attainments. Over time, Huang Xiu also felt a little sympathy for Cao Zhi's experience.
Huang Xiu heard Cao Zhi asking him a question, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "If I tell the king, please keep it a secret for me."
Cao Zhi had no hope, just like he had asked countless questions over the years. But today Huang Xiu was willing to reveal some information to him, which was a pleasant surprise.
"Please rest assured, Mr. Huang." Cao Zhi said with a folded hand, "I will not say anything nonsense."
Cao Zhi usually lived in Yongqiu City, so he had very little information about state affairs. In addition, before the emperor went south, Cao Zhi's memorial to the emperor displeased the emperor, and he replaced the regent and defense assistants. After that, few people were willing to tell Cao Zhi about state affairs.
Huang Xiu nodded and prepared to say something harmless to Cao Zhi: "I heard that your majesty's southern expedition was a great victory, wiping out the 100,000 rebels of the Eastern Wu and occupying the entire Lujiang County."
Cao Zhi asked in doubt: "Hasn't Grand Marshal Cao occupied Wancheng before? Why is he still in Wancheng this time?"
Huang Xiu said, "I heard that Sun Quan crossed the river to attack, and then the Wei army fought back against the Wu army in Lujiang."
"This is truly a great victory." Cao Zhi recalled for a moment: "There has never been a victory like this during the Huangchu period of the previous emperor."
"Mr. Huang, do you remember that at the end of the sixth year of Huangchu, when the late emperor returned from the expedition against Wu, he specially came to Yongqiu to see me." Cao Zhi looked up and recalled: "At that time, the late emperor also said that if there was an opportunity in the future, he would give me a real job and let me serve the country."
Huang Xiu sighed inwardly. The prince beside him had been imprisoned for many years, and he had an obsessive obsession with reinstatement and real work. How could he persuade him? Just let him continue to think like this.
When Cao Zhi was still several miles away from Chenliu City, the Yue Cavalry Captain Guanqiu Jian was already in front of the emperor.
There was no one else in the hall. The imperial attendants, the imperial guards, and the tiger guards were all cleared out.
Guanqiu Jian stood respectfully beside the emperor's desk and reported the situation in Luoyang City to the emperor in a low voice.
"Who? Xun Yu?" Cao Rui asked with a frown.
"It's Xun Ya (Xun Ya), not Xun Yu." Guanqiu Jian explained carefully: "It's Xun Yu's second son, Xun Ya Xun Manqian."
Cao Rui nodded: "I know this person. Is this the only one who died in the imperial prison?"
"In reply to your Majesty, when I left Luoyang, only Xun Ya was dead."
"Yes, I know. How many people did Master Wei arrest?" Cao Rui knocked on the table with his knuckles and whispered. Guanqiu Jian said, "More than 70 people were arrested and put into the imperial prison. The court judge Gao Rou was unwilling to open the prison without an imperial edict, so the military governor put the court judge under house arrest."
"More than seventy people, half of whom are members of the Xun family, and some are former officials of the Xun family. In addition, there are also the Chief of the Imperial Guards Zang Ba, Zang Xuangao and his son."
Cao Rui narrowed his eyes and said nothing. He pointed to a seat outside and asked Guanqiu Jian to take a seat.
Guanqiu Jian was quite familiar with the emperor and knew that the emperor was about to start thinking about something, so he did not hesitate and sat down waiting for the emperor to ask further questions.
Xun family...
In fact, the conflict between the Cao and Xun families within the Wei State had a long history.
In the 17th year of Jian'an, Dong Zhao planned to make Cao Cao Duke of Wei, thus laying the foundation for Wei to replace Han. Xun Yu was extremely opposed to this.
It was you who helped me reach a high position back then, and now you want to block my way?
Cao Cao was very upset about this, and when he was marching south to attack Sun Quan, he submitted a petition to Emperor Xian of Han, requesting that Xun Yu be transferred to Qiao County to comfort the troops. After Xun Yu arrived at the army, he kept him there.
When Cao Cao's troops reached Ruxu, Xun Yu stayed in Shouchun behind Cao Cao. Cao Cao gave Xun Yu an empty food container, so Xun Yu committed suicide by taking poison, which made Emperor Xian of Han feel deeply sorry.
At the end of the 17th year of Jian'an, Xun Yu followed Cao Cao in the southern expedition and died in Shouchun City.
In the autumn of the 19th year of Jian'an, Xun You followed Cao Cao in the southern expedition and died on the way.
Cao Rui once read the forbidden books in detail.
Cao Rui did not ask for any more details from the classics, records, or ministers around him. But from the intuition of an emperor, Cao Rui believed that Xun You was also sentenced to death or forced to death by Cao Cao, just like Xun Yu.
Cao Rui looked up and saw Guanqiu Jian sitting upright at the table.
When Guanqiu Jian saw the emperor's gaze looking at him, he was about to stand up and reply, but found that the emperor turned his head and looked away again.
Since the deaths of Xun Yu and Xun You, it seemed that the Yingchuan scholars had openly given up their opposition to Cao Cao's promotion and instead turned around to support Cao Pi's bid for the throne.
Zhong Yao, Chen Qun...representatives of Yingchuan scholars, made great contributions when Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, was competing for the throne. Cao Pi immediately rewarded them with high positions after he ascended the throne.
But...what about the Xun family?
Cao Rui looked at Guanqiu Jian and asked, "Zhonggong, who among Xun Yu's descendants has been arrested? Pick out the main ones and tell me."
Guanqiu Jian stood up and saluted: "Your Majesty, Xun Yu's second son Xun Ya died in prison."
"Xun Yu's third son Xun Shen, sixth son Xun Yi, as well as Xun Yu's eldest son Xun Yun's two sons, Xun Yu and Xun Yu, and Xun Yu's elder brother Xun Chen's son Xun Hong were all arrested by the Sili Xiaowei and imprisoned."
Cao Rui stretched out his hand to signal Guanqiu Jian to pause.
"Zhong Gong, I am a little confused. There are so many people with the surname Xun. How many sons does Xun Yu have?"
Guanqiu Jian counted them: "Xun Yu...Xun Yu probably had seven sons, of which the fourth and fifth died young. And the youngest son, Xun Can, had not yet come of age, so he was not imprisoned by the Inspector of the Imperial Guards."
Cao Rui stretched out his left hand and rubbed the acupuncture points on both sides of his eyes: "How can the Xun family be so fertile? I remember that Xun Yu's grandfather Xun Shu was known as the Godly Lord, and he gave birth to eight sons known as the 'Eight Dragons of the Xun Family'."
"Xun Yu's grandfather had eight sons, so there were eight people in his paternal generation. In addition, Xun Yu had four older brothers..."
Cao Rui paused and said, "It really is an endless succession of descendants."
Guanqiu Jian was also embarrassed and said: "This...I don't know, maybe Yingchuan is more prosperous, and there must be no such family in Hedong where I am."
Cao Rui seemed to understand a little bit what Wei Zhen meant.
As early as when he was in Luoyang, Wei Zhen had entered and left the palace many times and had long been aware of the emperor's concerns about the gentry, especially the Yingchuan gentry.
Since the emperor wants me to arrest and kill as many people as I did in the Wei Feng case, then I will take advantage of your majesty's victory in the south and start with the Xun family among the Yingchuan nobles.
Cao Rui frowned and asked, "Xun Yu's second son, Xun Ya, died in the imperial prison, right? Master Wei, have you figured out Xun Ya's crime?"
"We have already found out something." Guanqiu Jian said with a folded hand: "Xun Ya claimed that his elder brother, Xun Yu's eldest son Xun Yun, was executed by the late emperor during the Huangchu period, and he was resentful because of this. And this time, Your Majesty went to the south to fight, and Luozhong was empty, so Xun Ya also spread rumors and made trouble."
Cao Rui said: "Xun Yun... I remember that he was on good terms with Prince Yongqiu, but not with the late emperor, right? Are the others Xun Yu's accomplices?"
Guanqiu Jian replied: "According to the deceased Xun Ya, Xun Yu's nephews, Xun Hong and Xun Zhongmao were accomplices."
Cao Rui frowned: "Who is this Xun Hong and Xun Zhongmao? I can't remember clearly."
Guanqiu Jian cupped his hands and said, "Xun Hong is the son of Xun Yu's fourth brother Xun Chen. He was an official of the Yongqiu King during the Jian'an period."
(End of this chapter)
