Wei Ni

"Those who know me say that I am worried; those who do not know me say that I am seeking something."

After Cao Rui explained his original intention, he sighed quietly, closed his eyes, raised the cup and sang Cao Cao's "Short Song", "Singing to the wine, how long is life! Like the morning dew, the past days are full of suffering. I should be generous, and my worries are unforgettable. How can I relieve my worries? Only Du Kang. My green collar is always in my heart."

In response, Wei Zhen remained silent.

There was no change in his facial expression, and he did not even raise his glass to join in the fun.

He was an old man with half of his hair and beard white, and he was also an old minister who assisted three generations of Cao Wei emperors, so he knew the Cao family very well. For example, the emperor who righteously claimed that he "did not lack this face" actually had a lot of face. The reason why he didn't care about the exposure of the palace labor that made the Shi family hungry and cold was just to choose the lesser of two evils - compared with the royal family's harsh treatment of the Shi family, Cao Rui was more worried that the second Shi family investigation would end in failure.

It can't happen again.

If a king pushes something against all odds and it fails the first time, he can still attribute it to various factors; but if it fails the second time, what will happen?
The reason can only be attributed to the king’s lack of prestige.

This result was unacceptable to Cao Rui.

Therefore, he went to great lengths to force Xiahou Hui to submit and promise not to start a war. He even resorted to trickery, such as "If you don't do what he wants, then I won't do it."

Another reason why Wei Zhen remained silent was that he understood Cao Rui's underlying meaning.

Cao Rui was the king and he was the minister.

As a minister, if the king worries, the minister will work hard, and if the king humiliates the minister, the minister will die. Cao Rui raised the wine cup and sang "Short Song", which means that after drinking this cup of wine, Cao Rui's sorrow automatically became his sorrow.

Or, in other words, in the brief conversation just now, Cao Rui had also explained what he needed to do - Cao Rui needed him to continue to urge and teach Xiahou Hui to continue to do the same as he did today, to put the king first in everything, to think twice before doing anything, and not to always think about overturning the table or poking the skylight.

To put it bluntly, if you are in a high position, you must learn to compromise.

Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. If you mess around too much, the "small fish" will rot and neither the ruler nor his subjects will have anything to eat.

Wei Zhen generally agreed with this point.

Just like he, who had a straight-forward character and never formed cliques with others, did not prevent his own son from being involved in a vanity case.

When a child grows up, he should always be allowed to go out and explore on his own. If he is not hurt by reality, he will not realize his own strengths and weaknesses, and will not give up unrealistic wishful thinking.

Isn’t it the same with Cao Rui?

After experiencing Cao Xiu's defeat at Shiting and Cao Zhen's defeat in attacking Shu, he no longer had the idea of ​​destroying Shu and swallowing Wu in a short period of time.

The same was true of Xiahou Hui, who had just returned from the army to take up his post in Luoyang.

I have not yet been hit by reality, and have not yet personally felt that the government is more complicated and dangerous than military affairs and wars.

But Wei Zhen also felt a little uneasy.

From the examples Cao Rui just used of former Han Zhidu and former Chaoyang Qiu, he keenly realized that Cao Rui's re-investigation of the scholars' families should be just an introduction.

A whetstone, to be precise.

The knife is naturally Xiahou Hui, and the purpose is to sharpen Xiahou Hui's character and skills to make him more smooth and cunning, so that he can be of great use in the future.

Wei Zhen didn't want to bother guessing what this great use was.

He had already entered his twilight years while Cao Rui was in his prime, so there were some things he probably could not see or influence.

Therefore, he was just worried that Cao Rui would use Xiahou Hui as a knife to "use it for a great purpose". From the perspective of the Wei family and the country, was it really appropriate? Wouldn't it lay hidden dangers?

You know, Xiahou Hui is the son of a heroic figure from Qiaopei, and is no different from a member of the royal family!
Zhidu and Yangqiu Kezhong were unjustly killed. Let me ask, what is the crime that can cause even members of the royal family to have a miserable end?

It's just that kind of thing.

If things really got to the point where Cao Rui was worried that Xiahou Hui would follow in the footsteps of Zhidu and Yangqiu, not to mention the negative impact on the Wei Dynasty if the son of a Qiao Pei hero was charged with such a crime, just based on Xiahou Hui's character, would he just sit there and wait for death in the face of such a crime? !

To take a step back, wouldn't Xiahou Hui become alienated from the Wei royal family after being treated as a knife for so long?
Don’t forget that Xiahou Yuan is still a useless general!

And as long as there is no change of dynasty, the shame of General Baidi will not change.

Under such circumstances, Wei Zhen really couldn't understand why Cao Rui chose Xiahou Hui to be his knife; he couldn't figure out where Cao Rui got the confidence to ensure that Xiahou Hui would never harbor resentment.

The wise take precautions before disaster strikes, and the intelligent plan for future troubles.

Why was Cao Rui, who was known for his intelligence since childhood, so foolish and unwise as to push the upright Xiahou Hui into the abyss of treachery?

As a king, isn't it easy for you to get a knife?

How many people of humble origins and without any rank in their careers were cooked in five cauldrons without hesitation just because the king recognized them one day and gave them food overnight!

Why did you choose Xia Houhui?
Just as Wei Zhen was thinking about it, Cao Rui, who was singing and drinking on the side, also opened his eyes.

"Duke Wei is silent. Is he feeling uncomfortable? Or is he in a difficult situation?"

Based on the tacit understanding between the monarch and his subjects over the years, his questions were very direct.

Hearing this, Wei Zhen did not beat around the bush and pointed out the hidden danger directly, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for not understanding. When Emperor Wu started his business, Xiahou risked his life to follow him. Therefore, the general was enshrined in the temple of Taizu. But why did Your Majesty use Zhi Quan to conquer the West?" The unexpected question surprised Cao Rui.

After a moment, he said with a hint of melancholy, "Nothing else. A hundred birds of prey are not as good as one eagle."

It is precisely because Xiahou Hui is “鹗” that it should not be used like this!

Wei Zhen couldn't help but retort, but didn't say it out loud.

Because he knew that Cao Rui was not only lamenting that there were no unscrupulous talents among the royal family and his cronies, but was also saying that as the aristocratic families grew stronger, they had become deeply rooted in the government and were difficult to eliminate.

Therefore, he could not use things that had not happened yet to dissuade Cao Rui from changing his mind.

After all, considering the current situation of the Wei Dynasty, there is really no more suitable and sharper knife than Xiahou Hui.

"Yes. Your Majesty has made your decision. I dare not disobey your order."

Lingzhihou Mansion.

After bidding farewell to Guanqiu Jian, Xiahou Hui first found some food to fill his stomach, and then took a nap in the study.

I felt very sleepy, but even after lying on the couch for a long time with my elbows propped up and my eyes closed, I still couldn't fall asleep. I decided not to rest, so I got up and sat at the table, looking for the Luoyang Dian Nong Department's files and reading them carefully again.

No matter how your mood changes or whether you are satisfied with the results you have achieved, since you have taken on the task, you should strive to do it to perfection.

This concerns Cao Rui's perception of him and whether he will be granted more power in the future.

It is more related to the wisdom of how to make a living in the official career.

What he saw and heard today made him very disappointed. Something that was clearly beneficial to the country actually needed compromise and exchange of interests to be implemented.

Especially since the person who forced him to compromise was the current emperor!

Therefore, he also awakened and understood everything.

It is wrong to pin your hopes on someone else, even if that person is the emperor.

Because from the perspective of Emperor Cao Rui, the first priority is to ensure the stability of the country and the solid foundation of rule.

Therefore, before he makes every decision, he must first weigh the reactions of all parties and ensure that the fundamental interests of all parties will not be touched, thereby inducing them to take desperate measures; therefore, he will also retreat and then compromise.

There is nothing wrong with this kind of thinking.

Just play it safe.

The current situation of the Wei Dynasty is like a frog that has just been boiled in warm water. Cao Rui has not felt the pain yet, and of course he has no radical ideas.

But Xiahou Hui, who was born as a second generation human, knew the fate of this frog.

Not only was it cooked, but even its bones and flesh were eaten up.

In the past, he tried very hard to pull the frog out of the cauldron, but the frog refused on the grounds that the water temperature was not high enough; now, he could only change his mindset and start thinking about how to remove the fuel from under the cauldron and put out the fire without Cao Rui's support.

When people no longer rely on external forces and strive for everything by themselves, their minds will become very utilitarian, and they will regard all people who can provide help as tools that can be used or not.

And these tools can be discarded at any time.

Yes, Xiahou Hui himself did not realize that he had lost his awe of Cao Rui.

Or, in other words, he, who had never had much respect for imperial power, felt that Cao Rui was "not worthy of being a part of the conspiracy" after he realized that Cao Rui only wanted to be a judge to maintain his rule rather than a reformer who personally stepped in to rectify the accumulated problems.

After all, if you see through a person, you will look down on him.

I wonder what kind of mentality Cao Rui would have when he learned that he regarded the minister, whom he had high hopes for, as a tool to seek power and could be discarded at any time. This behavior went against the moral principles between the monarch and his subjects.

Ding Mi had no time to think about the answer.

He only knew that when he stepped into the study, listened to Xiahou Hui's retelling of the conversation at Beimangshan Manor and asked what he should do to satisfy Cao Rui and continue to favor him, his back was soaked in an instant.

As his clan has experienced tremendous changes, he has a keen sense of the ups and downs in officialdom, and he also captures the changes in Xiahou Hui's mood that he himself is not aware of.

So at this moment, his heart was like a storm, shattering all his rationality.

The incident happened too suddenly and the consequences were too serious, which caught him off guard and made him panic and sweat profusely.

Your surname is Xiahou, which makes you no different from a member of the royal family!
You are the descendant of the founding fathers of Qiaopei, and your relationship with the Wei royal family is closely related!
You have always sought to benefit the country and never considered your own honor or disgrace!
You have also advised the emperor many times before, and every time your advice was not adopted, you accepted it calmly and never felt dissatisfaction or resentment!

Now, why do you suddenly have such a rebellious idea? !
Is it true that great loyalty can be like treachery?

Or was it that you were a traitor pretending to be loyal before?
Ding Mi was in a state of confusion for a moment. He was filled with fear, panic, anxiety, confusion, and other emotions, and he also felt a sense of inexplicable excitement. (End of this chapter)