Treat death as you would life, only be sincere.
As for whether Empress Wuxuan was satisfied, only God knew, and this was not something Cao Rui could influence.
Cao Rui stood silently in front of the tripod for a moment, and finally understood the mood of Emperor Wu Cao Cao when he passed by the tomb of his old friend Qiao Xuan.
The act of worshipping a dead person is more like communicating with the person in your mind than communicating with the dead person. In fact, it is just communicating with yourself.
All the things he had experienced in the past four years flashed before his eyes. He turned around only when the last red light on the hemp paper ashes cooled.
"Let's go to Chaoyang Mausoleum." Cao Rui nodded slightly.
"As you wish." Sima Yi nodded his head in response, then quickly walked forward and began to give instructions to the entourage standing behind him.
We set out at the Chenshi hour, paid homage to Gaoling and Chaoyangling, and when we returned to the west side of Yecheng, it was almost evening.
Before Cao Rui's imperial carriage arrived at the west gate, Xiahou Xuan rode his horse to the right side of the carriage and called out softly.
"What's the matter Taichu?" Cao Rui was half lying in the carriage with his eyes squinted. This kind of slightly bumpy journey would easily make people drowsy.
Xiahou Xuan lowered his voice outside the right window of the carriage and said, "Your Majesty, there is a relative named Cao Zhun who wants to see Your Majesty in the team behind. He said he has something to ask for."
Cao Zhun?
Cao Rui thought for a while and finally remembered this person. If you think about it carefully, Cao Zhun can be considered as Cao Cao's cousin, and he is about sixty years old now.
According to the ritual system, all the members of the Cao clan living in Yecheng had to participate in the worship of Gaoling. Therefore, all the people with the surname Cao living in Yecheng participated, about 600 people.
The Cao family of Qiao County, Qiao County, Yuzhou, was the number one aristocratic family in Qiao County when Cao Cao himself had not yet started his rebellion and made his mark. There were hundreds of people with the surname Cao, both close and distant branches.
It has been more than 30 years since Cao Cao started his army and the situation has stabilized. During these 30 years of peace, the number of Cao's people has increased several times.
Cao Rui remembered that Cao Zhun had three sons who served as generals in the Wei army. The highest-ranking one was a Sima of 1,000 stones, and died in Hanzhong with the former General of the Western Expedition, Xiahou Yuan. The other two sons served in the cavalry, one died in Hebei and the other in Jingzhou. Cao Zhun only had his only grandson to live in Yecheng.
A family full of heroes.
The Cao family has been in power for forty years. Not only do they have important generals like Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and the two Xiahou generals, but there are also many ordinary supporters from the family who constitute the backbone of the army.
"parking."
Cao Rui gave a gentle order, and the Tiger Guard in charge of driving heard it and immediately shouted outside, and the entire team quickly stopped.
Cao Rui walked out of the carriage, stood beside the wooden railings next to the door, and looked at Xiahou Xuan: "What can I do for you, Cao Zhun?"
Xiahou Xuan shook his head: "I don't know, and the person who sent the message didn't tell me either."
"Then summon him to come before me." Cao Rui said.
"Yes, sir." Xiahou Xuan took the order and left.
Soon, Cao Zhun came to Cao Rui alone, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I, Cao Zhun, greet you!"
Cao Zhun also held the title of Guannei Hou, so it was not excessive for him to pay homage to him.
As he was leaving Yecheng to return to Luoyang tomorrow, Cao Rui was unwilling to waste time talking to Cao Zhun and asked directly, "Stand up, what do you want to see me for?"
The gray-haired Cao Zhun stood up and said carefully: "Your Majesty, my family came to live in Yecheng in the 18th year of Jian'an. It has been more than ten years in Yecheng. Yecheng..."
Cao Rui stopped him: "If you have something to say, just say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."
"Yes, yes." Cao Zhun seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before speaking, "Your Majesty, can you allow me to move to Luoyang?"
Move to Luoyang?
Cao Rui was puzzled for a moment and asked, "If you want to move to Luoyang, then just move. Do you want me to help you?"
Cao Zhun smiled bitterly and said, "The court has previously issued an order not to allow the move to Luoyang. I am a lowly official and have no chance to see the emperor normally. I can only choose to come today to plead with your majesty."
"When did it happen? Were only your family banned from migrating?" Cao Rui asked again.
Cao Zhun looked around, seemed a little hesitant, and was unsure of the emperor's temper, so he could only tentatively say: "Your Majesty, according to the decree of the second year of Huangchu, all the people of the Cao family in Yecheng are not allowed to move to Luoyang."
After looking at Cao Zhun for a few moments, Cao Rui seemed to realize something and waved to Xin Pi who was not far away. Xin Pi stepped forward immediately after noticing him.
"Xin Qing, has the court issued an order prohibiting the Cao family from Yecheng from moving to Luoyang?"
Xin Pi was stunned for a moment, then he leaned close to the emperor and whispered for a while. Cao Rui nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
To put it bluntly, this was the method used by the late Emperor Cao Pi when he imprisoned members of the royal family and took control of the Cao clan's relatives.
After Cao Cao made Yecheng the capital of Wei, he moved some of the close relatives of Cao's family in Qiao County to Yecheng. After the establishment of the Wei Kingdom, these close relatives of Cao continued to stay in Yecheng and were not allowed to go to Luoyang.
Then a weird situation arose.
Cao Pi was the Emperor of Wei in Luoyang, and many members of the Cao family who commanded troops were serving in the central army in Luoyang.
Except for the families of Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, and Cao Hong, the rest of the Cao family lived in Yecheng or Qiao County and were not allowed to move elsewhere, just like the families of the Wei foreign troops were restricted to Henan and Wei County.
Cao Rui sighed and said, "Xin Qing, you were the Minister of the Interior during the Huangchu period. What did the late emperor think at that time?"
Xin Pi thought for a moment and replied, "The late emperor wanted to prevent the clan members from using the name of the Cao family to commit illegal acts in various places, which would be difficult for local officials to control, so he prohibited them from moving."
Cao Rui shook his head slightly: "I see that there are people with the surname Liu everywhere now, too many to count. Liu Bei's surname is Liu, Liu Biao's surname is Liu, Liu Ye's surname is Liu, and Liu Fang's surname is also Liu. Since the Cao family has produced an emperor, how can they just live in one place like ordinary people and not be allowed to move?"
Xin Pi reminded him quietly, "Your Majesty, the Han Dynasty gave the descendants of the Liu family a feudal state, so their talents were spread all over the country. Our dynasty was established not long ago, how can we compare with the Han Dynasty?"
Cao Rui said, "I know what Xin Qing means. I don't want to promote feudalism, but I also don't want to confine the Cao family to Yecheng. Does Xin Qing have any plan?"
Xin Pi gritted his teeth and thought for a moment, then he cupped his hands and said, "Since Your Majesty wants to show mercy, why not show mercy in a big way?"
"Xin Qing still has a plan." Cao Rui smiled: "What does Xin Qing say?"
Xin Pi said: "I understand that your majesty wants to let the Cao family take root and sprout everywhere like in the Han Dynasty. If so, it would be better to lift the confinement directly, but this does not show your majesty's grace. If your majesty shows mercy to the Cao family this time and allows them to live in a place of their choice in the world, wouldn't it be better?"
"If they choose big cities like Luoyang, Xuchang, and Chang'an, then let them go. If they choose remote places like Qishan City in Qinzhou, Wuwei City in Liangzhou, Jixian County in Youzhou, and Xiangping in Yingzhou, then Your Majesty can use the money from the Ministry of Finance to help them."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Xin Qing is sensible and considerate of me."
After communicating with Xin Pi, Cao Rui looked at Cao Zhun who was not far away and said, "You want to go to Luoyang. It seems that your family has a lot of wealth, right?"
Cao Zhun was a little nervous: "Your Majesty, I do have some money at home, but it is all earned from business and from many rewards. It is all legal money."
"It's good for my clansmen to be rich." Cao Rui continued to ask: "But not everyone in the Cao clan of Yecheng is as wealthy as you, right?"
Cao Zhun was relieved: "Your Majesty, you are joking. Although we are of the same clan, our families do not exchange their wealth. Naturally, some are rich and some are poor. How can we be the same?"
Cao Rui looked at Xin Pi and said, "Xin Qing, did you see that? I remember that Emperor Wu's family was not as wealthy as General Wei's. Now the same situation is inevitable in our clan."
Xin Pi replied: "It is the same in every family and every surname. It is the same in the world."
Cao Rui nodded and said to Cao Zhun, "I have approved all your requests. From now on, the court will not restrict the relocation of Cao clan members."
Cao Zhun had never seen the current emperor's swift and decisive style of doing things, so he was a little surprised: "Your Majesty, is Your Majesty's approval now?"
Cao Rui laughed dumbly: "My words are golden, can I lie to you?"
"You can go back now."
"As ordered, I thank Your Majesty for his kindness!" Cao Zhun bowed his head respectfully, then trotted towards the rear of his team.
This man was quite sensible. He knew that the entire team of more than 2,000 people had stopped for his matter, so he ran faster and faster.
Cao Rui glanced at Cao Zhun's departing back and ordered his troops to set off again. At the same time, he called Xin Pi to ride in his carriage.
Xin Pi guessed that the emperor might still have something to ask, so he did not hesitate. He handed his mount to a tiger guard beside him to lead it, and then quickly got on the carriage.
Cao Rui said: "In the past, the noble families moved, except for the opportunity to serve as officials outside, and rarely moved directly. I am the emperor of Wei and the head of the Cao family, so I intend to let the Cao family reproduce everywhere."
Xin Pi said: "People are poor when they leave their hometown. If they leave their ancestral land and live in a new place, it will cost a lot to buy a house and land. Many officials retired to their hometowns after resigning from their posts, and did not live in Luoyang, mostly for financial reasons."
Who doesn’t know that buying a house is difficult?
Cao Rui nodded: "That's why I said Xin Qing's method is good. I will sponsor their houses and property to start a business, so it won't be so difficult to start a business. If there are Cao family members moving to various places from Xiangping in the north to Wuwei in the west, and they have branches and leaves, I will not refuse those who are capable among them to become officials."
Xin Pi replied: "Your Majesty is wise."
Cao Rui said with emotion: "Since Xin Qing and I have talked about this topic today, I also want to set some rules for the royal family."
Xin Pi nodded thoughtfully: "During the Huangchu period, the royal family was suppressed, and during the Taihe period, the royal family was released. If we don't establish a system, I am afraid that future generations will repeat it again. We should choose a method that will last forever." (End of this chapter)
