Wei Ni

The son does not talk strangely and forcefully.

Although the belief in ghosts and gods and the existence of spirits after death was once popular due to the prophecy of the previous dynasty that "Liu Xiu should become the emperor," the vast majority of the powerful and wealthy maintained a respectful but distant attitude towards the concept of ghosts and gods.

Emperor Cao Rui, on the other hand, preferred to believe it was true rather than risk it.

For example, since the third year of the Qinglong era, he has been supporting a peasant woman from Shouchun in the inner palace. This is because the peasant woman claims to be a deity descended from heaven, capable of protecting the imperial family and warding off evil and bringing good fortune.

Therefore, when Gao Tanglong, whom he greatly respected, submitted a memorial on his deathbed, claiming that the Wei dynasty was in danger of internal strife and usurpation, he believed it without a doubt.

This omen, in particular, originated during the Huangchu era, when Emperor Wen of Han, Cao Pi, had just usurped the throne from the Han dynasty.

What worried him even more was that he had the same dream twice. Zhou Xuan, a doctor skilled in dream interpretation, explained that the dream scene was a warning of the danger of being usurped.

At that time, he regarded the two towering trees that overwhelmed the Wei court as Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen, while the thriving trees within the Wei court were interpreted as his own sons dying out and adopting members of the imperial clan to inherit the throne in the future. After justifying his explanation, he put aside this worry.

Looking back on this matter now, I realize that I was indeed careless in my thinking back then.

He adopted Prince Cao Fang of Qi and Prince Cao Xun of Qin within the palace, and this was done through an ancestral temple ceremony, making them his heirs according to ritual and law!
How can this be interpreted as a cuckoo taking over someone else's nest?
Even considering it as "Quwo Daiyi" is a very far-fetched idea, right?

Furthermore, Gao Tanglong's prediction of divine intervention or internal strife should not have occurred yet, so how could it be attributed to the deceased Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu?

Another oversight was that he had the same dream twice and treated the two dreams as one to ask Zhou Xuan for clarification.

Because one person had dreamed of straw dogs three times in a row, but Zhou Xuan gave different interpretations each time.

First, one will receive delicious food; then, one will fall from a car; and finally, one's home will catch fire.

And they all came true.

The person later specifically asked for clarification: Why were the dreams the same three times, but the outcomes were different?

Zhou Xuan explained that straw dogs were items used in sacrificial rites to the gods. After the ceremony, people would share the food, crush the straw dogs with a cart, and then burn them over a fire. Therefore, his three dreams actually represented the three steps of the sacrificial ceremony, and the results were naturally different.

Cao Rui was now slow to realize the truth, but he could no longer seek answers from Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan had retired to his hometown several years ago, and last year the local authorities reported that he had passed away.

Therefore, he could only ponder and decipher his dream by combining it with Gao Tanglong's memorial to the throne.

The tyrannical minister's actions caused trouble within the family; he didn't need anyone else to explain this.

It simply means that among Qin Lang's sons and brothers from the Xiahou and Cao families, one of them will one day bring disaster to the Wei dynasty.

But who is this person?
After carefully considering each person, Cao Rui felt that the most likely candidate was Xiahou Hui, whom he valued most highly.
The reason is absurd yet also quite reasonable.

Among everyone, only Xiahou Hui has this ability, right?

Furthermore, Xiahou Hui's political views over the years have been quite radical, and he is by nature determined to eradicate evil completely. Although he always acted in the best interests of the Wei court and aimed to benefit the country, it is an undeniable fact that he caused a great uproar in the court and among the people every time.

Of course, Cao Rui would never reveal this answer.

He was merely speculating, and he was far from being so foolish as to dismiss and abandon the loyal Xiahou Hui based on a vague and unfounded deduction.

Furthermore, considering that there were two trees in his dream that overwhelmed Wei Que, if one refers to Xiahou Hui, then who is the other?
It seems that no one is qualified.

Qin Lang's abilities are barely adequate, but given his personality and ambition, he has absolutely no guts to wreak havoc on the country.

Others such as Xiahou Xian, Cao Zhao, and Cao Shuang lacked ability and were not worth mentioning.

It can't be referring to a relative of the maternal family, can it?
According to the rules established by Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, Cao Pi, the sons of imperial relatives were not even qualified to be powerful ministers, let alone bring chaos to the country.

Inside the west hall of the Taiji Palace, Cao Rui, claiming to be exhausted and not to be disturbed by his servants, lay flat on the dragon bed, his gaze aimlessly wandering along the carved lines on the beams of the palace ceiling, his thoughts like a tangled mess that could not be untangled.

He couldn't figure out who would cause trouble within the family on his own, and he had no clue who might usurp his position. He didn't even know how to begin thinking about it.

Because the scope is too broad.

From the fact that the Wei dynasty replaced the Han dynasty and received the Mandate of Heaven, we can infer that the phrase "cuckoo taking over the magpie's nest" does not specifically refer to those currently in the imperial court or those who have already risen to power; if we take the example of Wang Mang usurping the Han dynasty, then no one can be selected.

Among the ministers of Wei at present, the one with the highest prestige is Sima Yi, who was once praised by Xiahou Hui as being like a saint and was frankly said by Chen Jiao to be the hope of the court and the public.

However, he voluntarily resigned as the governor of Yongliang and handed over his military power, and he was about to turn sixty.

As the saying goes, seventy years is a rare age.

Whether he could live to seventy is another matter, but Cao Rui himself was in his prime, not yet forty.
With me here, what can Sima Yi do? What would he dare to do?
The rest are even less of an issue.

Throughout the capital region, those who truly commanded soldiers and controlled military power at the grassroots level were almost all appointed after Cao Rui's personal review, and there was absolutely no possibility of them being courted by powerful figures.

As for the regional governors serving in the provinces and the commanders guarding the war zones...
Without a legitimate cause, they could not even threaten the capital, Luoyang.

Now, after decades of chaos and turmoil, the people yearn for peace, and there is no longer any opportunity for heroes to rise up or for commoners to rise to prominence.

This is also the fundamental reason why Cao Rui did not intend to adopt Gao Tanglong's advice to relax restrictions on princes and members of the imperial clan and grant them the power to command troops in their fiefdoms.

There's no need to create more trouble.

Moreover, compared to the reign of Emperor Wen (Cao Pi), he had already relaxed many restrictions on princes and members of the imperial clan after ascending the throne.

If the ruler of a vassal state were to again command troops, it would inevitably provoke widespread opposition from the officials in the court, and could even sow the seeds of unrest and disaster.

The Rebellion of the Seven States during the Former Han Dynasty was enough to show that princes and nobles were not reliable. Liu Yan and Liu Biao of the previous dynasty were both members of the Han imperial family, but as regional governors, when the Han Dynasty was in decline, one of them made a carriage and chariot and presumed to be the emperor; the other of them performed suburban sacrifices to heaven and earth and attempted to dismantle the imperial carriage. This is enough to conclude that members of the imperial family are also unreliable.

Or rather, once you have power, no one can resist the temptation of being all-powerful and powerful.

Emperor Cao Rui could not convince himself to trust any prince or member of the imperial clan who had the qualification to be "adopted from a minor branch of the family into the main branch."

Therefore, Gao Tanglong probably never imagined that his dying memorial, in which he wanted to show his utmost loyalty to the Wei dynasty, would instead add a worry to Emperor Cao Rui's mind.

Moreover, this mental affliction could never be cured, and it would only make Cao Rui more and more suspicious.

After staring blankly at the carved beams for a long time, Cao Rui's face showed a few traces of irritation, so he simply got up and walked out of the west hall.

He suddenly decided to test the academic achievements of King Cao Fang of Qi and King Cao Xun of Qin. Because if the successor to Wei was wise and decisive, capable of recognizing and appointing the right people, then all talk of powerful ministers or usurping power would be utter nonsense!
However, as soon as he arrived at the main hall of the Taiji Palace, he saw an attendant tiptoeing to the emperor's table and placing the memorial he was carrying on the table. "Where is this memorial to be presented at this time?"

He asked a question, his tone somewhat unfriendly.

The eunuch was so startled that he immediately prostrated himself and replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, it was submitted by the Ministry of Personnel and is a memorial from Liu Shao, a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate."

Liu Kongcai?
He was in the East Hall this morning, so why is there a memorial coming from the Ministry of Personnel now?
Upon hearing this, Cao Rui frowned slightly, and after a moment he remembered what it was about. "Go out."

"only."

"Wait!"

Cao Rui, who was serving as a servant, suddenly stopped him. As if he had thought of something, he hesitated for a moment before waving his hand and saying, "Send this memorial to the Secretariat first, so that they can review and copy it."

"only!"

The flower garden in the front courtyard of the Marquis of Lingzhi's residence.

Xiahou Hui, who learned that Emperor Cao Rui had given up his plan to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai because of Gao Tanglong's death, sipped his tea slowly, seemingly carefree and content, but his heart was in turmoil.

The reason he was not on duty today was that he planned to go to his father's residence to offer condolences.

As a result, the carriage had only gone a few miles when it turned back.

Because Gao Tangchen followed his deceased father's will and adhered to the simple burial customs advocated by Emperor Wen of Han (Cao Pi), the funeral was kept extremely simple. So simple that no mourning hall was set up in his Luoyang residence; he was simply dressed in a simple coffin and transported by oxcart to his hometown in Taishan County for burial.

A loyal and upright minister will not have private relationships with others even after his death.

One of the reasons Xiahou Hui was in turmoil was that he suddenly realized that in the past few years, the old ministers who were truly loyal to the Wei dynasty had all passed away one after another; but the loyal ministers cultivated by Cao Pi and Cao Rui were few and far between.

Let's not dwell on Cao Pi's short reign, but Cao Rui, who reigned for over a decade, only managed to cultivate a few talented individuals.
Xiahou Hui himself was promoted by Cao Rui, but he knew that he was at most a loyal minister, not a pure and sincere one.

The only other one who could be considered was Guanqiu Jian, who was far away in Youzhou.

A new generation replaces the old.

But new clothes are worse than old ones, and old friends are worse than new ones.

It's no wonder that, in the original historical trajectory, the Jin dynasty's usurpation of the Wei dynasty faced almost no obstacles.

Could this be considered divine intervention?

Yes, another reason for Xiahou Hui's distress was that he began to doubt whether everything was predestined.

In his previous delusions and long-forgotten memories, he believed that if Cao Rui had lived another ten or eight years, the incredibly disgusting Jin Dynasty would never have existed in history. But now he suddenly felt that even if Cao Rui had not died young and had prevented the Jin Dynasty from usurping the Wei throne, it would not have changed the fact that the Wei Dynasty would have a very short lifespan.

The reason stemmed from Cao Rui's desire to perform the Fengshan ceremony.

Yes, that's right, he has now been ordered not to go.

But the idea of ​​performing the Fengshan ceremony was actually proposed by Jiang Ji in a memorial nearly ten years ago, and he still remembers it! Moreover, he intends to put it into practice!

Will he remember this again ten years from now?
Will there be a second Gao Tanglong then?

The massive construction projects and the continuous building of palaces, which cost the national treasury, are still fresh in our minds. Last year, thousands of beautiful women were selected from all over the country, and the cost of the palace alone was equivalent to the national military expenditure. This year, they are even thinking of performing the Fengshan ceremony!

What about the following year, or the year after?

Could he remember something again?

Even a powerful dynasty like the Former Han Dynasty, built upon the foundations of the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, was brought to the brink of collapse by Emperor Wu's insatiable greed! The Wei Kingdom, which had not yet achieved unification, and with Emperors Wu and Wen of Wei showing almost no benevolence to the people, how long could its reign last under Cao Rui's ever-changing machinations?

History has no "what ifs," and anything is possible; there are no answers to things that didn't happen.

But Xiahou Hui couldn't help but think of the deeds of Emperor Yang of Sui, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and others.

Another basis for his feeling that he had a destiny was the content of Gao Tanglong's memorial to the throne.

Gao Tanglong's memorial before his death was not a secret report. Although Emperor Cao Rui did not summon all the ministers to discuss it, the contents of the memorial gradually became known to the court and the public within a few days.

What the officials and nobles were concerned with and discussed was whether it was appropriate to grant the rulers of fiefdoms the power to command their own troops.

Xiahou Hui was shocked by the sentence, "When I observed the beginning of the Huangchu era, Heaven gave a warning: a strange bird was raising a swallow's nest, with a red beak, claws, and chest. This is a great omen for the Wei dynasty. We should guard against treacherous ministers within our own walls."

In the original historical trajectory, the so-called "eagle-like minister within the walls" corresponds to Cao Shuang!
Since Cao Shuang appointed Sima Yi as Grand Tutor, effectively sidelining him and seizing power, he first orchestrated the disastrous Battle of Luogu, which resulted in a defeat and national humiliation, causing him to lose popular support. He also allowed his cronies, such as the "Three Dogs of Taizhong," to act recklessly and disrupt the court. Cao Shuang himself lived a life of extravagance, indulging in the imperial treasury as if it were his own personal granary, and even sexually assaulted Cao Rui's concubines. As a result, many loyal ministers sided with Sima Yi. During the Incident at Gaoping Tombs, they all felt that they were following Sima Yi to restore order and eliminate traitors for the country!
From the perspective of establishing a dynasty, Cao Shuang and Dong Zhuo played the same role.

Cao Cao usurped the Han throne, while Dong Zhuo brought chaos to the Han dynasty.

Without Dong Zhuo and his cronies like Li Jue and Guo Si trampling the dignity of the Han dynasty into the dust, making the people of the land feel that the Han dynasty's fate was sealed, the Wei dynasty's usurpation of the Han would not have been so easy.

The same is true.

If it weren't for Cao Shuang, this valiant minister within the walls, where would the Sima family have gotten their name and opportunity? Of all the merits of the Sima family's usurpation of Wei, Cao Shuang, who "paved the way for the king," is undoubtedly the one!
Of course, these were all Xiahou Hui's private thoughts.

Given Emperor Cao Rui's high regard for him, even if Cao Shuang were present during the entrustment of the young emperor, he would inevitably be ranked after him and would have no chance of becoming a high-ranking minister. Therefore, his current doubts and anxieties stem from the question: who will be the "high-ranking minister" foretold by the omens of the Huangchu era?
Could it be me?
He himself felt it was impossible.

But he couldn't control what others thought, such as Emperor Cao Rui.

Therefore, for the first time since entering officialdom, he felt a sense of crisis. It was a very strong sense of crisis, even more so than when he was leading the scout camp in Huainan and was chased by Wu soldiers for over a hundred miles.

After all, the imperial court is ruthless.

Furthermore, the three generations of rulers of the Wei dynasty were all equally harsh and ungrateful, which goes without saying.

The only hope was whether Emperor Cao Rui would be moved by Gao Tanglong's dying memorial.
The signs are baseless, the events have not yet occurred, and considering my own willingness to risk my life for the benefit of the nation over the years, surely he wouldn't be making baseless accusations?

As Xiahou Hui picked up the teacup and brought it to his lips, he quietly asked himself a question.

His eyelids immediately drooped.

The tea has gone cold. (End of Chapter)