Chapter 155: Verbal Argument
"Man Chong?" Sima Yi said, "I am actually quite surprised that Wei Zhen did such a thing in Luoyang this time. He is completely different from the Wei Zhen I knew before."
"When did Wei Zhen start arresting people?"
Sima Shi thought for a moment and said, "It seems that it was only after the Yueqi Captain Guanqiu Jian returned to Luoyang to report the victory that the Sili Captain began to arrest the Xun family members and put them in the imperial prison."
"It seems that within two days, Xun Ya died in the imperial prison."
Guanqiu Jian...A look of disgust appeared on Sima Yi's face.
The emperor had sent this man to his residence to question him last time. When Sima Yi saw the young man's unhumble behavior, he felt a little dissatisfied.
This time the emperor sent Guanqiu Jian to Luoyang to report the victory, and then Wei Zhen began to arrest and kill people.
If the emperor had not intervened, Wei Zhen would never have dared to do such a thing. Xun Yu's students and former officials were all over the Wei Dynasty, and it took great courage to kill Xun Yu's son.
But now it seems that Wei Zhen not only did it, but also did it very decisively, leaving no way out for himself.
Sima Yi asked, "Just now, I heard someone briefly say that in order to put the Xun family members in prison, Wei Zhen even put the court judge Gao Rou under house arrest?"
Sima Shi nodded and said, "My son heard that the Supreme Court Justice was standing outside the prison gate at the time and stopped the Imperial Guard. He forbad the Imperial Guard to bring the criminal to the prison without the emperor's order."
"As a result, this matter became known to everyone, and the Minister of Justice was also placed under house arrest by the Inspector of the Imperial Guards that day."
"Was he under house arrest that day?" Sima Yi asked with a frown.
Sima Shi also seemed to sense something was wrong: "Father, you asked a good question...it seems like I was only under house arrest for one day."
Sima Yi shook his head and cursed, "Gao Rou is still so cunning and never willing to be a bad guy!"
Sima Shi was puzzled: "Hasn't the Minister of Justice always been upright? This time he personally stopped me outside the prison. How can he be so cunning? My son doesn't understand."
"Humph." Sima Yi said grimly, "Listen to what he says and watch what he does. Watching what he does is more important."
"Just last year, when the late emperor wanted to kill Bao Xun, my father and Chen Qun urged the late emperor to save Bao Xun's life."
"The late emperor wanted Gao Rou to kill Bao Xun. Seeing that the late emperor was seriously ill and didn't have much time left, Gao Rou refused to do this evil thing. Finally, the late emperor had no choice but to summon Gao Rou into the palace and transfer him to another position before killing Bao Xun."
Sima Shi suddenly realized: "Is Gao Tingwei the same this time as before?"
"How is it?" Sima Yi stared into Sima Shi's eyes.
"He is again putting his own responsibilities outside." Sima Shi said: "He was stopped outside the imperial prison and placed under house arrest. The court officials who sympathized with Xun Shi can no longer blame him."
"The Sili Xiaowei has to bear all the blame alone."
Sima Yi hummed: "It seems that Ziyuan understands the principle of observing others' actions."
Sima Shi was quite emotional: "After my father's guidance, I found that the famous officials in the court are not as upright as they were rumored to be."
Sima Yi said: "At this stage of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, what is the difference between right and wrong? It's just a matter of position."
Sima Shi then said, "Didn't father just want to ask his son about the impact of this matter in Luozhong?"
"Ziyuan, please speak." Sima Yi replied.
Sima Shi said slowly: "Many people sympathize with the Xun family because of Xun Yu's status as his son. But when it comes to treason, almost no one dares to speak up for the Xun family and argue with the Sili Xiaowei."
"Father, you are the leader of the scholars. Chen Huqi is in Xiangyang, far away from Luozhong. Now only father is in Luoyang. Father, do you want to say a few words too?"
Sima Yi stood up and looked down at his son: "Ziyuan, let me ask you, how did your father become a leader of scholars?"
Sima Shi asked in surprise: "Father has been assisting the government for many years, and he is also a scholar. Isn't he the leader of the scholars?"
"Wrong." Sima Yi smiled sarcastically, "Ziyuan, you must remember, there is no such thing as a leader of scholars. From Jian'an to Huangchu, from Huangchu to Taihe, no one has ever been able to bring scholars together! Even your father can't do it."
"But... although I am not a leader of the scholars, I am also one of the most prestigious scholars in Luozhong. If I don't say something, it will obviously frustrate the public."
Sima Yi walked a few steps and opened the door of the study. He turned to Sima Shi and said, "Ziyuan, you should send someone to the Imperial College to ask for leave immediately. You should stay in the mansion for the next few days and don't go to the Imperial College. Your father is going to the Shangshutai now."
Sima Shi vaguely guessed what his father meant. With the general and the prime minister returning to the court one after another, and the emperor also in Chenliu, not far from Luoyang, this Taihe No. 1 case, which had been stagnant for many days, was undoubtedly about to progress to a new stage.
Xun Can was running around Taixue and Luozhong lobbying all day long...Obviously Taixue would also become a suspicious place.
Sima Shi saluted and said, "Slow down, father." Sima Yi did not look back. He nodded and went straight out of the house and rode in a carriage to the Secretariat.
Luoyang, Shangshutai.
The former Shangshu Pushe Wang Si took leave at home due to old age and illness a few months ago, and it seemed that he did not have much time left.
In addition, Chen Jiao had already been appointed as the Minister of the Interior. Before Sima Yi came back, Wei Zhen, the Shangshu You Pushe, was the person with the most power and responsibility in the Shangshutai.
For some reason, His Majesty had not yet taken away Sima Yi's power to record the affairs of the Shangshu, and the largest "Assistant Government Pavilion" was still reserved for Sima Yi. Wei Zhen had already moved to the room that Chen Jiao and Wang Si had used before.
Upon hearing his clerk report that Sikong had come to the Secretariat, Wei Zhen slowly walked out of the house and met Sima Yi in the courtyard.
Wei Zhen calmly bowed and said, "Greetings, Sikong."
Sima Yi smiled and said, "In the past few months, Gong Zhen has been in charge of the overall situation in Luoyang alone. It has been really hard!"
Wei Zhen said: "How dare I say hard work? The Minister of Works followed Your Majesty to the southern expedition and is the real hero of the country. I am just guarding the house for Your Majesty."
Sima Yi maintained the curve of his lips, but the smile at the corners of his eyes gradually faded.
Where power is concerned, there is always struggle. The relationship between ministers is far from being summed up by the four words "harmonious".
Wei Zhen has been in Luoyang for the past few months, taking charge of the court and being in charge of logistics. This is exactly what Sima Yi did in Luoyang and Xuchang when the late Emperor Cao Pi went on a southern expedition a few years ago!
The emperor took Sima Yi away from Luoyang, but let Wei Zhen replace Sima Yi's original functions.
Although Wei Zhen's current position was only Shangshu You Pushe, it was still several levels lower than Sikong himself.
But Wei Zhen was an important official entrusted by the emperor himself. How could a person in such a position look at his position? It depends on the emperor's favor!
The impression Sima Yi left on everyone in the Secretariat was always that he only said nice things but was efficient in his work.
Now that Sima Yi, the registrar of the Secretariat, has returned to Luoyang, he still has to fight for the power and responsibilities of the Secretariat against Wei Zhen, the governor of Luoyang.
"Guarding the house for your majesty is also a great achievement, no less than military merit!" Sima Yi looked at Wei Zhen and said, "Since I have returned to the Shangshutai, Gong Zhen can send someone to deliver the documents that need to be reviewed to me."
Wei Zhen's expression did not change: "That's right. If there is anything that needs to be dealt with, I will send it to Sikong immediately."
Sima Yi nodded slightly with satisfaction: "I did the same thing with Gong Zhen a few years ago."
"There are so many things to deal with, big and small. The burden of the eleven states of the Great Wei is all on my shoulders." Sima Yi said slowly: "Gong Zhen has no such experience before, so it must be even more difficult for him to do things, not to mention that he also has the power and responsibilities of the Sili Xiaowei."
After Sima Yi finished speaking, he stood on the steps and looked around the large courtyard of the Shangshutai. The clerks were busy shuttling between the various government offices, almost without a moment's rest. At this moment, the Shangshutai was actually the heart of the Wei Dynasty.
Sima Yi looked away and asked casually, "By the way, Gong Zhen, I heard that Xun Ya died in the imperial prison?"
Wei Zhen nodded and said, "Xun Ya first slandered the late emperor for having his brother Xun Yun executed during the Huangchu period. He has been holding a grudge for many years and took advantage of your majesty's absence to spread rumors and wanted to support Prince Yongqiu as emperor."
"Xun Ya committed treason and committed suicide in prison after leaving a confession. He deserves death."
Sima Yi looked at Wei Zhen: "What about Xun Hong?"
Wei Zhen said calmly: "Xun Hong is also an accomplice of Xun Ya. He is also detained in the imperial prison and will be interrogated after Your Majesty returns to the capital."
Sima Yi frowned and said, "Gong Zhen, even if Xun Ya and Xun Hong were rebellious, it is impossible that all the members of the Xun family are traitors, right? Why do we need to detain all the members of the Xun family? That is the imperial prison!"
"It is precisely because we need to investigate the case carefully that we can clear the suspicion of innocent people." Wei Zhen replied: "If there are guilty people, they must be severely punished according to the law."
Wei Zhen stood straight in the courtyard, talking to Sima Yi. In order not to disturb the two court officials, the officials passing by also avoided them. Therefore, no one else could hear their conversation at this time.
"Gong Zhen, I have something to advise you." Sima Yi looked around and whispered, "Lord Xun has made contributions to the country, and most of the Xun family members are loyal to the country. It's better not to involve too many people."
"Gong Zhen, please let me have a look at the case files. I will also help Gong Zhen investigate the evildoers."
Wei Zhen still had the same expression, but he shook his sleeves heavily, and his words were a little colder: "Sikong, the case file belongs to the jurisdiction of the Sili Xiaowei, not the Shangshu You Pushe."
"Although I hold two positions concurrently, I still cannot confuse the two." Wei Zhen said slowly: "I'm sorry that I can't obey your order."
Sima Yi saw Wei Zhen's expression change, and then explained: "Gong Zhen, I don't mean to excuse the Xun family, I just don't want to implicate too many people. Xun Lingjun's eldest daughter married Chen Qun, didn't Chen Qun send someone to ask about it?"
Wei Zhen said word by word: "Does the Minister of Works have to inquire about this matter? Chen Piaoqi has naturally sent someone to inquire, but I also want to remind the Minister of Works that Chen Piaoqi and the Xun family are related by marriage and are from the same hometown."
"But Sikong is not from Yingchuan!"
(End of this chapter)
