When Cao Rui asked this question, even the talkative new Privy Councilor Liu Ye Liu Ziyang only responded with a somewhat tired look:
"Your Majesty is wise. I learned that Henan has been in trouble these days. It is right for you to come back early."
Xin Pi said from behind Cao Rui's left: "Although there is an inn here, it is only five miles away from Yecheng. We should hurry into the city as soon as possible. We can talk about it after we meet the prime minister."
Cao Rui nodded slightly.
The distance from Tuyin City, the capital of Youbeiping County, to Ye City, the capital of Wei County, was about 1,300 miles, and Cao Rui only took ten days.
Before setting out from Tuyin, Cao Rui only ordered all the officials of the Secretariat and the Privy Council who remained in Yecheng to return to Luoyang, without leaving a single one behind.
Now, the only important official of Wei who stayed in Yecheng waiting for Cao Rui's arrival was Sima Yi, the Minister of Works. Cao Rui did not ask the officials of Yecheng to welcome him in advance. Therefore, the officials in the post house five miles east of Yecheng were very surprised when they found that the emperor had returned with his army.
"What, His Majesty has entered Yecheng?"
Sima Yi was sitting in the duty room of the Shangshu Ling in the Shangshu Tai in Yecheng. When he heard the report from the military officer Chen Gui, he stood up suddenly.
Chen Gui bowed and said, "It is absolutely true. Your Majesty has just led his army into the city. Sikong should go and greet them as soon as possible."
"Don't bother me, I know how to do it." Sima Yi straightened his robe and walked out without even turning his head, saying, "Zicheng, pack up the documents from Luoyang and Xuchang for me. They may be needed later."
"Yes, I understand." Chen Gui responded.
There was also a Shangshu Tai in Yecheng.
Previously, Cao Cao used Weijun as the base and incorporated the surrounding counties into Weijun, establishing a super-large version of the Principality of Wei, which later became the Kingdom of Wei. As a legitimate vassal of the Han Dynasty, King Cao Cao of Wei not only had the Secretariat and the Censorate, but also the Nine Ministers.
Dong Zhao contributed a lot to this matter.
In fact, during the Huangchu period, Sun Quan of Eastern Wu fell out with Wei and set up the Secretariat and various government offices in Wuchang, and then proclaimed himself the King of Wu, almost copying the structure of Cao Cao's Wei Kingdom exactly.
Sima Yi was not the only one who acted quickly. The governor of Wei Prefecture, Zheng Hun, was also quick. At this time, the governor of Ji Province, Lu Zhao, was in Zhao State inspecting the people's livelihood and was not in Yecheng.
The first thing to do after entering the city was to settle the accompanying troops. Because of the long march, the 4,000 heavy cavalry led by Guanqiu Jianzhong changed into light cavalry equipment before setting off. Even though the burden was reduced, it was time to rest.
The Sima of each department took the order and left. Guanqiu Jian led 500 cavalrymen to escort the emperor and the ministers northward. On the road that turned west and led to Tongque Tower, they met Sima Yi and Zheng Hun, as well as many officials from Jizhou and Weijun.
"Your Majesty, we welcome your majesty back from triumph. Long live your majesty!" Sima Yi and Zheng Hun took the lead, and about a hundred officials all bowed down in salute.
Cao Rui did not respond immediately, but turned his gaze to the west.
It was evening, the sun was in the west, and the scenery was beautiful. Cao Rui sat on a white horse and looked from east to west. His eyes passed through the crowd, through the Bronze Sparrow Tower in the northwest, and looked at the dazzling red clouds in the distant sky, as if the clouds in the sky were also celebrating at the same time.
A triumph indeed!
After working hard for more than half a year, fighting on the battlefield, and traveling thousands of miles, isn't it all for this moment of triumphant return?
Cao Rui turned to look at his ministers, smiled and raised his hand: "I miss my hometown very much, so I will return to Yecheng from Youzhou first. The officials in Jizhou have made great efforts in the dispatch of food and grass and logistics for the Wei Dynasty's expedition this time. I have always remembered your contributions. I will issue an edict to let Jizhou Governor Lu evaluate the merits of the ministers. All the ministers who have made contributions, no matter how much or how little, will never be forgotten by the court."
"My lords, please make peace."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ministers cheered again, and then stood up one after another. The Jizhou officials who had received rewards and promises from the emperor seemed to cheer even louder.
Cao Rui chuckled, then ordered Zheng Hun to organize all the ministers to disperse and return to their offices, and waved to Sima Yi to follow him.
The ministers were devoted to the court, and the court could not be too harsh on the ministers. Spiritual loyalty was inseparable from material support. The world was not yet unified, and being too stingy with the ministers was tantamount to chronic suicide.
Almost without stopping, Cao Rui and his entourage arrived at the Feiguang Hall of the Bronze Sparrow Tower.
It’s cold up there, but the view is also better.
Cao Rui was standing by the railing in front of the palace, looking at the fiery red clouds in the western sky, and he said with emotion: "Yecheng is worthy of being one of the five capitals of Wei. Emperor Wu founded the country here and built the Bronze Sparrow Tower here. I am also blessed by my predecessors."
"My dear fellows, please do not let down this beautiful country. Do your best for your achievements before and reputation after your death!"
Liu Ye quickly interrupted and said, "The Holy Lord is here, and we will definitely live up to your Majesty's trust."
Liu Ye took the lead, and when several attendants behind him wanted to follow, they were stopped by Sima Yi's light cough.
"The scenery is beautiful, but there are so many things going on in the court right now." Sima Yi saluted and said, "Your Majesty is in a hurry to return to Yecheng, and the government affairs need to be considered one by one. There are so many things to deal with, why don't I help your Majesty sort them out?" Cao Rui nodded, turned around and glanced at Sima Yi and Liu Ye, and walked towards Feiguang Hall: "That's what I mean, come in with me to discuss the matter."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Sima Yi took the lead and followed, and the other ministers also walked in. Only Liu Ye looked a little embarrassed.
Cao Rui took his seat first, and the ministers followed suit. Sima Yi and Liu Ye sat at the front, one on the right and one on the left, followed by the Imperial Guard Xin Pi, and the two Palace Attendants Xu Shu and Pei Qian. The three Imperial Guards Xiahou Xuan, He Chu, and Xiahou Hui were also allowed by the Emperor to sit at the back.
As for the Minister of the Central Secretariat Liu Fang, he had no chance to participate in the political affairs according to previous rules, so he walked to the side hall on his own initiative.
Sima Yi coughed lightly, cupped his hands and looked at the emperor: "Your Majesty, please allow me to present my report one by one from the simplest to the most complex."
"Okay." Cao Rui nodded.
Sima Yi said: "First of all, I would like to congratulate Your Majesty on the birth of a prince. Concubine Su has given birth to a prince. Please give him a name."
No matter what happens, the first and second time are always fresh and passionate, and the same is true for the birth of a prince.
Cao Rui responded casually, "Concubine Su has made great contributions. I will reward her when I return to the palace. As for the newly born third prince, Empress Dowager Luozhong said in her letter that the prince is thin and weak, so let's name him 'Shou'. What do you think of this name, Cao Shou?"
“This is a very good name.”
"Your Majesty is holy."
"The prince will surely live a long and blessed life."
Sima Yi and other ministers all agreed. It was the emperor who gave birth to a son, not them, so they could call him whatever they wanted.
This matter was skipped in two sentences, and Sima Yi continued: "Your Majesty, the matter of Huang Gongheng, the governor of Yuzhou, impeaching Dong Bojun, the governor of Yingchuan, and Dong Gongren, the minister of the Western Pavilion and the Minister of the Imperial Guard, asking for retirement, I hope Your Majesty will make a wise decision."
Apparently, Sima Yi didn't know that Xin Pi had been appointed as the new Weiwei at this moment. Xin Pi, who was sitting diagonally opposite him, was obviously holding back from speaking.
Cao Rui shook his head and casually defined the dispute between the two ministers: "Huang Quan is making trouble, and Dong Zhao is also making trouble."
"I have read the letter Dong Zhao sent me. On one hand, he said he wanted to return home and die, and on the other hand, he wanted his son to guard the border for me. When have I ever been so harsh to a meritorious official? When have I ever forgotten our old friendship?"
Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, it is true that Yingchuan Governor Dong Bojun is not a good administrator. The Shangshutai also has records of this. Yingchuan is an important place. Water conservancy, military affairs, and military farming are all important to the country. It also contains Xuchang, one of the five capitals of the Great Wei."
"I think it would be better to transfer Dong Bojunping to a less prestigious position. This would save Dong Gongren's reputation and not affect the government affairs. It would be the best of both worlds."
Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and said, "The court must take care of its business, and the ministers must also save their reputation. So I will not issue an edict directly, and the Shangshutai will handle it."
"Sikong, send a letter to Yang Ji, the Minister of Personnel, to follow Dong Zhao's advice and transfer Dong Zhou to Changli County as the governor."
Sima Yi nodded and said, "Your Majesty, how should Dong Gongren and Huang Gongheng respond?"
Cao Rui said: "The governor of Yuzhou failed to consider the overall situation, so he should be fined three months' salary. Dong Zhao of the Western Pavilion took advantage of the situation and should be fined one year's salary. Let Yang Ji also discuss these two punishments."
Except for Liu Ye and Xin Pi, no one else in the hall knew that the emperor was going to appoint Dong Zhao as the Grand Commandant. Sima Yi was also unaware of this. Liu Ye and Xin Pi both keenly noticed the title mentioned by the emperor.
Sima Yi's original words were "Western Pavilion Minister and Guardian Dong Zhao", but the emperor said "Western Pavilion Dong Zhao", obviously he did not want to deprive Dong Zhao of his position as Grand Marshal, and seemed to want to keep the matter secret for the time being.
From Sima Yi's perspective, it was obvious that Dong Zhao had lost the emperor's favor. Huang Quan was fined three months' salary, while Dong Zhao was fined one year's salary. Isn't it obvious which one is better?
This is the difference that information asymmetry brings in the court. If a key piece of information is missing, the overall judgment will be different.
Sima Yi nodded and said, "I will obey your order and send a letter to Yang Ji of the Ministry of Personnel about these three matters later."
"Yes." Cao Rui replied.
Sima Yi's discussion was brief and to the point, and Cao Rui was short-tempered, so the two political affairs were quickly concluded.
"Regarding the officials of the Secretariat going south, Your Majesty sent an envoy from Youbeiping, who arrived in Yecheng three days ago. I ordered the Secretariat and the Privy Council to go south that day." Sima Yi continued, "I learned from the envoy that the Yellow River is high and it is difficult to cross Mengjin. I asked the Secretariat and the Censorate to cross from Xiaopingjin. If Xiaopingjin is still difficult to cross, they will cross the river from Heyin."
Cao Rui took a deep breath and said, "Even Mengjin is difficult to cross?"
Sima Yi nodded: "The river is narrower at Mengjin, the current is faster, the floating bridge cannot be used, so it is difficult to cross. Xiaopingjin is better." (End of this chapter)
