All the ministers in Feiguang Hall had dispersed. Cao Rui and the two attendants Xu and Lu walked slowly northward along the side of the palace.
To the north of Tongque Tower is the Zhang River.
The mountains and waters in the distance and the pavilions nearby complement each other, like a magnificent freehand painting.
Cao Rui recited: "Looking at the long flow of Zhang River, looking at the flourishing fruit garden."
"Prince Yongqiu's literary talent is indeed outstanding! In my opinion, when it comes to poems and fu describing the Zhang River and Yecheng, Prince Yongqiu is the best."
Xu Shu said, "In the past, Emperor Wu ordered you to write a poem together. The late emperor also wrote a poem called "Dengtai Fu" at that time."
Cao Rui waved his hand and said, "When describing the wind and birds, the former emperor used 'the wind blows my clothes, and birds fly and sing in front of me', while the King of Yongqiu used 'I look up at the gentle spring breeze, and listen to the sad cries of hundreds of birds'."
"To be honest, the late emperor was good at writing essays and poems about women's grievances, but his other poems were still far behind those of Prince Yongqiu."
The two attendants nodded in agreement.
If you say there is a gap, it seems like favoritism towards the late emperor. In fact, the gap should be greater.
When discussing literature, Your Majesty often thinks that the late emperor's ideas are superior to those of King Yongqiu. But when it comes to poetry and prose, Your Majesty never hides his praise for King Yongqiu.
Lu Yu said, "Your Majesty, Chongwen Temple has been established for more than three years, and many scholars in Luozhong have also stood out for their literary talents."
Cao Rui asked: "I went to Chongwen Temple once in late October, and have not paid attention to these things since then. The prosperity of culture and culture can also demonstrate the virtue of the Great Wei."
“Which scholars have produced outstanding works?”
Lu Yu paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, there is a scholar in Luoyang named Ruan Ji, who is the son of Ruan Yuanyu from Ye. When Ruan Ji first came to Luoyang to study last autumn, he became famous in the Imperial College with a five-character poem "Song of Thoughts."
"Oh, this person is called Ruan Ji?" Cao Rui nodded thoughtfully: "Does Lu remember the poem?"
Lu Yu bowed and said, "I remember the words 'I couldn't sleep at night, so I sat up and played the zither. The thin curtain reflected the bright moon, and the breeze blew my clothes.' The style of the writing was fresh and elegant, and it gave me a sense of transcendence."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "This is a good candidate. His writing style is very similar to the poem "How Bright the Moon Is."
"Minister, I have an idea today. Please both of you come with me to discuss it."
Lu Yu then stood still with his hands behind his back, and Xu Shu did the same.
Cao Rui said: "In the first year of Taihe, I established Chongwen Temple, revised the Five Classics, and selected poems and essays every year. The flourishing literary style in Luoyang is just like the 'Seven Masters of Ye' in the Bronze Sparrow Garden of Yecheng during the Jian'an period."
"At that time, Wang Zhongxuan, Xu Weichuang, Ruan Yuanyu, Ying Delian, Kong Wenju, Chen Kongzhang and Liu Gonggan were all well-versed in learning and expression, and they all developed a flourishing literary style at that time."
Cao Rui sighed and said, "Literature and poetry are like this. I wonder if we can bring all these strange people in the countryside to the Luoyang court to govern them?"
"People like Guan Lu who are good at fortune-telling and physiognomy, as well as those who are good at prophecy and various beliefs... can be restrained from causing chaos among the people, and can also be used by the court. Just like when Emperor Wu summoned Zuo Ci, Gan Shi, Xi Jian and others in Yecheng in the past."
As he was talking, Cao Rui looked at Xu Shu and said, "Mr. Xu, I remember that you sent the Yangzhou school officials to investigate and said that Zuo Ci's last trace was in Tianzhu Mountain in Lujiang County?"
Xu Shu replied, "It is Tianzhu Mountain. There has been no trace of Zuo Ci since then. Tianzhu Mountain is close to the jurisdiction of General Jia Kui, the Southern General. I sent someone to ask Jia Kui to help find him, but Jia Kui did not agree."
"I have also investigated Ge Xuan, whom Your Majesty mentioned before. Ge Xuan has lived in Wuchang for a long time and has a close relationship with Sun Quan. He cannot come to Luoyang."
Cao Rui nodded: "What other beliefs are there?"
Xu Shu thought for a few moments and said, "Among the rest of the people, Xuzhou is the most popular, followed by Qingzhou."
"In remote counties such as Langya, Donghai, Xiapi, and Guangling in Xuzhou, the beliefs of Tianshi Dao and Buddhism are mixed, and disputes often occur. The former governor of Xuzhou, Lu Qian, was old and confused, and did not govern them."
"And in the counties of Jibei, Taishan, Dongguan, Beihai, and Jinan, which are located at the junction of Qing, Xu, and Yan, there are still believers in the Taiping Dao."
Cao Rui sighed, "Zhang Jue has been dead for more than 50 years, but the Taiping Dao is still alive! The court does not have much energy to deal with the blind faith in the countryside. It is impossible to ban it completely, so we can only control it."
"Mr. Xu, send a message to the Luoyang Wei Pushe Office, asking all the counties and states to round up these miscellaneous believers and strange people, and have their leaders go to Luoyang to live, so that the people won't get out of control."
"Set up another government office like Chongwen Temple." Cao Rui looked at the people and asked, "What should we call it?"
The two ministers looked at each other. Finally, Xu Shu nudged Lu Yu with his elbow, and Lu Yu, the youngest of the ministers, bowed and said, "The Chongwenguan is in charge of the world's literary affairs. The newly established government office collects all the strange things in the world and is under the jurisdiction of the court to make it clear."
"It's better to choose the word 'reasonable'."
Cao Rui smiled and shook his head: "The word 'reason' is acceptable, but the word 'clear' is more subtle. The more you argue about the truth, the clearer it becomes. But how can you argue clearly about what people believe in? It would be better for the court to point out and choose the clear one!"
"Let's call it Mingli Temple!" Cao Rui looked at Xu Shu and said, "Xu Qing, go and talk to Wei Pushe about this."
"As you wish." Xu Shu replied.
Lu Yu on the side pursed his lips, as if he had something else to say.
Cao Rui saw Lu Yu's expression and asked, "What do you want to say, Mr. Lu?" Lu Yu had been thinking about it for a long time, but at this moment he began to hesitate.
Your Majesty has always regarded divination, physiognomy and other supernatural things as a diversion, mainly for entertainment and to relieve boredom, but he does not really believe in them.
Just like Emperor Wu summoned Zuo Ci and others to Yecheng, and Emperor Wen asked Zhu Jianping to read their faces. They did not seek anything, but just entertained their eyes and ears.
If I were to follow Guan Lu's hexagram...
Just say it!
Lu Yu made up his mind and said, "Your Majesty, Guan Lu just divined the Huan hexagram, which says, 'The king has a temple, and it will be beneficial to cross the great river.'"
"The ancestral temple of the Great Wei is in Luoyang, but Emperor Wu's Gaoling Mausoleum and Empress Wen Zhao's Chaoyang Mausoleum are both in Yecheng. Your Majesty has previously only sent Xu Xuan to offer sacrifices to Gaoling Mausoleum and Sikong to offer sacrifices to Chaoyang Mausoleum."
Lu Yu became a little nervous: "If the king has a temple, the ancestral tomb is also like an ancestral temple. Your Majesty, why don't you go to Gaoling to offer sacrifices in person to ward off evil?"
Cao Rui glanced at Lu Yu and asked, "Are you afraid of Guan Lu's prediction, or do you really want me to go there in person?"
Lu Yu bowed and said seriously: "Your Majesty, I have both thoughts."
Cao Rui looked at Xu Shu again: "What did Minister Xu say?"
Xu Shu replied, "If you believe it, then it exists; if you don't believe it, then it doesn't exist. Your Majesty can decide according to your heart. The hexagram can be interpreted from the ancestral tombs in Yecheng or from the Taimiao in Luoyang. Didn't Your Majesty worship the Taimiao in Luoyang before going to war?"
"I think there is no danger."
Obviously, Xu Shu was not a Confucian scholar and was not willing to waste the goodwill between himself and the emperor by making such suggestions.
Instead, it seemed that Lu Yu was more considerate and caring more about the emperor himself.
Cao Rui understood and said, "I understand. Gaoling and Chaoyangling are both to the west of Yecheng, only ten miles from north to south. Three days later, I will go to Gaoling and Chaoyangling to pay my respects in person. I can go back and forth within a few days."
……
Three days later, Cao Rui personally went west to pay homage to the tomb, and the newly appointed scholar of Chongwen Temple Guan Lu also accompanied him.
Five days later, on the Bronze Sparrow Tower, Sima Yi and Man Chong both brought over the emergency plans that their subordinates had hastily prepared.
Both documents were thick, more than a finger thick in the hand. Regardless of what was written inside, this attitude was worthy of recognition.
Cao Rui picked up the document from the Shangshutai and read it carefully while asking, "Although the Shangshutai's method is a bit crude, I think it should be effective."
Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "Let me take Yuzhou and Yangzhou as examples."
"There are many dams and weirs in the Rushui, Yingshui, Woshui, Suishui, Feishui, and Bishui water systems. When the rainy season comes, it is better to release more water than to store water. Local governors can make their own decisions. If the rain is unpredictable, the dams and weirs must be destroyed in time, and the prefects and county magistrates do not need to be held responsible. If they delay in destroying the dams, they will be punished."
Cao Rui nodded: "Although I am the emperor and you are the prime minister, the court also controls the entire world. However, the specific and trivial political affairs still need to be carried out by officials from various states and counties."
“The key to government affairs lies first in managing officials.”
"I don't know much about water conservancy. Since the Secretariat has already come up with a strategy, it seems to be roughly correct. I may not be able to do better. Let's send it down for execution."
"As you wish." Sima Yi replied with a bow.
After reading the documents from the Secretariat, Man Chong took the documents from the Privy Council.
Man Chong quickly reported: "Your Majesty, we have already made arrangements for the repair of roads and the supervision of canals in Hebei. However, we are unable to make a judgment on the specific rainfall and water conditions in Youzhou in Yecheng."
"A few days ago, I sent an envoy to Liu Ziyang in Youzhou and asked him to help the envoy collect the rainfall and water conditions of Youbeiping, Liaoxi and other counties over the years."
Cao Rui did not blame him: "It is correct to speak truthfully. You can't come up with anything even if you think hard in Yecheng."
"Boats, rain gear, medicines, and weapons. I have seen that the Privy Council's plan has mentioned all of them. Send people to keep an eye on all the necessary preparations to make sure nothing goes wrong."
Seeing that he had finally passed the test, Man Chong felt relieved. He had just raised his eyes and carefully observed the emperor's expression, and now he felt a little relieved.
"Your Majesty," Man Chong said, cupping his hands, "Today is already February 14th. Last night I received a reply from Tian Yuchu of Yanmen, saying that he had sent envoys to the nearby Xiongnu and Wuhuan, summoning troops from all tribes in accordance with Your Majesty's order."
Cao Rui asked calmly: "Where is Ke Bineng?"
Man Chong replied: "Tian Yu also sent a message to Ke Bineng. According to Tian Yu, he estimated that given Ke Bineng's obedience in the past two years, there is a 70% chance that he will respond to the imperial edict."
Cao Rui asked in return: "They are all obedient, but only 70%?"
Man Chong nodded: "Those barbarians do not know etiquette and morality. If the army is not approaching, they will not know the benefits and disadvantages. Tian Yu said that if the elite cavalry of the central army went to Yanmen in person, there would be a 99% chance that Ke Bi would respond to the imperial edict." (End of this chapter)
