Inside the West Pavilion, Dong Zhao, Man Chong and Wei Zhen all looked at Sima Yi.
Drawing the line is easy; it’s just a matter of setting a standard.
But how to set the standards for civil officials and military generals? This is a problem.
Those who have never been a governor cannot be elected? Those who have never been a titled general cannot be elected?
Or should we choose from the Inspectors, Nine Ministers, and Shangshu Ling upwards?
Dong Zhao was the first to propose sharing the throne in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. At this moment, he asked Sima Yi, "It is right to set a standard, but the official system and positions changed frequently during the Jian'an and Huangchu periods. How can there be a universal standard?"
Wei Zhen also echoed: "Either by official position or by merit."
"If we are to judge by their official positions, let's take the first four people. Xiahou Yuanrang and Cao Zixiao were ministers of the Yuan Dynasty, and both were generals of the royal family and had served as generals of the Wei Dynasty. Wang Jingxing was one of the Three Dukes, and Cheng Zhongde could be considered the same. No matter how you choose, these four are impeccable."
"But if we look at merit, many people with great merits often did not even hold the position of governor or general, and did not even live to see the founding of the Wei Dynasty. What should we do?"
After that, Wei Zhen sighed slightly: "It's easy to choose military generals, but how should we choose civil officials? Should we only consider the Wei Kingdom of Emperor Wu?"
Sima Yi fell silent after hearing this. Dong Zhao and Man Chong looked at each other and said nothing.
Because they suddenly discovered that the task assigned to them by His Majesty was actually very difficult to complete.
Wei Zhen saw things clearly and pointed out three important issues in his words.
First, the question of life expectancy.
People like Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Cheng Yu, and Wang Lang are dead, but many old ministers who started the business with Emperor Wu Cao are still alive.
Let's not talk about others, let's take the Taifu Zhong Yao, who once took charge of the affairs of Guanzhong. He is almost 80 years old, and he is still alive and well in Luoyang.
Dong Zhao, who was sitting in the West Pavilion, served as the governor of Jizhou in the fourth year of Jian'an.
Cao Hong was still drinking and eating meat every day in Luoyang.
In other words, Cao Cao's era still has its aftereffects until today, and it has not yet completely ended and can be put to rest.
Second, the question of number of people.
The emperor said that eighteen people should be selected in the second batch, but no one knew where the number "eighteen" came from.
How can we select just eighteen people?
The third, and most troublesome, issue is the conclusion of the characters.
If we start with the military generals, after Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren, the next one should be General Xiahou Yuan.
However, Xiahou Miaocai died in a wasteful battle in Hanzhong in the past and was called a useless general by Cao Cao, which caused Cao Cao to personally lead a large army to Hanzhong for its support. This indirectly led to the loss of the entire Hanzhong and the deterioration of the situation in Xiangfan, almost necessitating the relocation of the capital.
Is Xiahou Yuan's contribution great or too great? Can he be selected? It's hard to say.
Civil officials also have trouble.
When talking about the entrepreneurial journey of the Cao family, Xun Yu and Xun Wenruo are candidates who cannot be avoided. If Xun Yu's contribution is erased, the history books will not recognize it.
The entanglement between Xun Yu and Emperor Wu was already known to everyone, not to mention that Xun Yu's sons were exiled to Liangzhou for treason in the first year of Taihe and were not pardoned.
Apart from the four chosen by the emperor, it was already difficult to make a final decision on Xiahou Yuan and Xun Yu. But if even these two could not be judged, how could we talk about choosing others?
Seeing that no one could make a decision, Dong Zhao, who first raised the issue, said, "What Wei Pushe said makes sense. How about this, you two go back to the East Pavilion first, and I will go to the harem to ask His Majesty and seek his advice."
"We'll report tomorrow anyway, so there's no rush."
Sima Yi instinctively wanted to go with Dong Zhao, but when he thought of his fifty-year-old identity as Sikong, he suppressed the thought.
Sima Yi bowed and said, "Well, please go ahead, Lord Dong. Gong Zhen and I will go back first."
"Please go slowly." Dong Zhao responded, and he and Man Chong stood up and gestured.
After getting permission, Dong Zhao followed a eunuch and slowly walked towards the martial arts arena.
When Dong Zhao arrived, Cao Rui had just inserted the sword into the scabbard.
Cao Rui didn't seem surprised. He looked at Dong Zhao with a smile and said, "Why, Lord Dong, what urgent matter do you want to see me about? I have been gone for less than half an hour."
Dong Zhao stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, we are having a difficult decision in the West Pavilion, and the eighteen of us cannot make a decision, so we came to ask for your Majesty's opinion."
Cao Rui took the silk scarf from the eunuch's hand, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and asked calmly, "If eighteen people cannot be chosen, can eight be chosen?"
Dong Zhao shook his head slightly: "Eight people can't be selected either."
Cao Rui nodded: "Let's go, let's talk inside the room."
Dong Zhao followed the emperor and walked into the rest room next to the martial arts field.
After sitting down, Cao Rui drank a mouthful of honey water with a little salt added and asked, "It was Lord Dong who said that we should be worshipped in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. It was also Lord Dong's idea to divide the two groups."
"Why are you looking for me now?"
Dong Zhao sighed, "I had good intentions, but I didn't think enough at the time and didn't expect the complexity of this matter."
As Dong Zhao continued to speak, the number of people, their ages, and the final issues regarding Xiahou Yuan and Xun Yu were all presented to Cao Rui's ears one by one.
Cao Rui nodded slightly: "You are right. If we really want to choose the best, it is equivalent to making a resolution on several events since the Jian'an period."
"It is definitely not something that can be decided by the West Pavilion or the East Pavilion alone."
Dong Zhao said apologetically, "Forgive me for my incompetence and for bothering Your Majesty again."
Cao Rui glanced at Dong Zhao and said: "You may be bothered, but I may not be bothered."
"Come, I will give you a conclusion today."
Dong Zhao slightly widened his eyes, and after a few moments of surprise, he understood and began to ask:
"Your Majesty, how should Xiahou Yuan and Xun Yu be judged?" Cao Rui said in a deep voice, "Regarding the co-worship, if there are people like Xun Yu, they will be counted according to the time of their death."
"Xun Yu founded the State of Wei in the 17th year of Jian'an and became Duke of Wei in the 18th year of Emperor Wu."
Dong Zhao asked, "If those who died before the 18th year of Jian'an were not considered for worship in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?"
Cao Rui glanced at Dong Zhao and said, "A person's life depends on his own efforts, as well as the times and luck. If one dies early, it means that he did not have such luck."
"I understand." Dong Zhao said.
Cao Rui continued, "Regarding Xiahou Yuan, whether Hanzhong is lost or not, or whether the western front is unstable or not, it will not affect the foundation of the Wei Dynasty. But if Emperor Wu did not have Xiahou Yuan's help at the beginning of his career, how could he have accomplished anything?"
"Xiahou Yuan's merits outweigh his faults, so he should be enshrined."
Dong Zhao nodded in agreement and asked, "Your Majesty, should the second batch still be based on eighteen people? How should the number of civil and military candidates be weighed?"
Cao Rui said, "I understand what Lord Dong said just now. Many of the ministers who founded the country with the previous emperor are still alive, so the second batch of people who will be honored will be decided later."
"Those who made great contributions during the reign of Emperor Wu were enshrined in the temple of Emperor Wu. Those who made great contributions during the reign of Emperor Huangchu were enshrined in the temple of Emperor Wen."
"Do you have any other questions?"
Dong Zhao stood up and bowed: "I have no more questions. Please take your leave."
Cao Rui looked at Dong Zhao's departing back and began to think quietly.
The reason why Cao Rui agreed to share the sacrifice in the Taimiao was to motivate his ministers and inspire the subjects from all over the country to be loyal to the Great Wei.
Since it is difficult to decide, it doesn't matter if the matter is delayed for a few years.
What Dong Zhao did not say explicitly just now was that Your Majesty is still young, and it will not be too late to reach a consensus after most of the old ministers from the Jian'an period have died.
Cao Rui agreed with this.
No matter what, people like Cao Xiu and Xiahou Shang must be worshipped along with Emperor Wen, and others like Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Le Jin, Li Dian and others must be worshipped along with Emperor Wu.
Once the four people who will be honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple this month are announced, the world will know about this. And the next issue, which is still pending, will become a bait to whet people's appetite.
One’s reputation after death should be judged by his deeds before death.
It depends on their individual efforts.
……
The next day, the two matters of the prince being crowned king and being allowed to worship in the Taimiao were announced in the court, causing a lot of discussion for a while.
The same is true in the harem.
In the afternoon, all the ladies in the harem gathered together, and Empress Dowager Bian and Empress Dowager Guo also appeared at the same time.
As the Minister of the Central Secretariat Liu Fang came into the palace in person to announce the imperial edict, the two-year-old Prince of Ye, Cao Qi, and the one-year-old Prince of Changle, Cao Yan, knelt down under the guidance of their respective mothers to thank and accept the imperial edict.
Concubine Mao and Concubine Sun were naturally delighted, but beneath the celebratory smiles of the other concubines, there was no telling how much jealousy and comparison were hidden.
The two women first bowed to the emperor, and then bowed to Bian and Guo respectively.
Empress Dowager Bian was delighted and said with a smile: "You two have given birth to a son for Rui'er, and you have also made contributions to the Wei Dynasty and the Cao family."
"Now that my son has been crowned a prince, this is just the beginning. There is still a long way to go. I have been through this before, and I have raised a child to adulthood. You still have a long way to go and a lot of things to do. You must not be arrogant and spoiled."
"It is said that a mother is honored by her son, but a son is also honored by his mother. I hope you will always remember my feelings today."
"Do you know?"
"Thank you, Empress Dowager, for your instructions." Mao Yan and Sun Luban both bowed in gratitude.
Cao Rui stood aside and watched with a smile as Empress Dowager Bian lectured the two girls.
In this regard, Empress Dowager Bian was indeed an expert.
People often say that there were three thousand beauties in the harem. Even though Cao Rui's harem only had about twenty people, it was far from being equal.
It’s like eating on the way home from get off work at night. Trying many restaurants once or twice is enough.
There are only three or five stores that I can visit regularly.
The emperor was young, and so were the concubines. There was no reason to favor one because of youth or to dislike one because of age and fading beauty.
It's purely personal preference.
Now, there are only three people in the harem who can enjoy the emperor's favor: Concubine Mao, Concubine Sun, and Concubine Guo.
As for the other women, the better ones could be favored once or twice a month, but most of them were almost ignored by the emperor.
The emperor also needs to rest, so how can he work every day?
This is generally how things go in the harem.
After the ceremony comes the celebration, and after the celebration comes the dinner.
Emperor Wu's sons were given official positions, and his own descendants were given titles. The first and most important step was to expand the power of the imperial family.
It was rare for Cao Rui to drink a lot in the harem.
Empress Dowager Bian and Empress Dowager Guo left first, leaving time for the emperor and his concubines. (End of this chapter)
