Wei Ni

Early winter will arrive in ten days.

The Central Guard Officer's Office was very busy with matters such as calculating the winter clothing, firewood, and fodder for the various units of the Luoyang Central Army stationed in and around the capital, as well as the relocation of individual deployments.

Even Zhen De, who was thrown in by Emperor Cao Rui to make up the numbers, was assigned a lot of trivial tasks.

He enjoys it.

Perhaps it stems from the desire of young boys who are not yet grown up to gain the approval of their elders.

Whenever Yu Song, the head of the Imperial Guard, praised him with a smile, saying that he had done things very meticulously, it would fill him with energy.

Especially a few days ago, when Xiahou Hui brought his nephew Xiahou Gong to the government office to keep him company, he privately asked him to do something, claiming that Xiahou Gong was aloof and taciturn, so he should try to enlighten him more in his daily life.

Having grown up in Luoyang, the capital, Zhen De, though not worldly-wise, had already learned a great deal about the ways of the world.

Therefore, he understood that Xiahou Hui's so-called request was actually to alleviate his embarrassment at being forced into the Central Protectorate Army by Emperor Cao Rui, and to prevent him, who was still young, from feeling isolated.

Otherwise, with the large and prosperous Xiahou family, there were many cousins ​​of similar age to Xiahou Gong, so why would they need to ask him for guidance?

Furthermore, while helping to handle some trivial matters, he discovered that Xiahou Gong was more efficient and more meticulous in organizing things than he was. In other words, he was the one who needed to learn from Xiahou Gong.

If a person is talented, are traits like being aloof or taciturn considered flaws?
After he told his family about this, his father, Guo Li, advised him to be humble and get closer to Xiahou Gong, striving to become his friend.

The reason given was that Xiahou Gong had been enrolled in the Imperial Academy at a young age, and his father, Xiahou Ba, was a general guarding the four commanderies of Liaodong, so his future career prospects were not a concern, and there was no need for Xiahou Hui to take him under his wing and cultivate him. Now, because of Zhen De, Xiahou Hui had him interrupt his studies and come to the Central Guard Military Office as a junior attendant, which was considered a grievance.

Not to mention that the Xiahou family's descendants were like members of the royal family in the state of Wei, holding a higher status than relatives of the Zhen and Guo families.

In dealing with people, the most basic principles are reciprocity and giving the best of both worlds.

The gentle-natured Zhen De respectfully accepted his father's teachings and followed his instructions.

Surprisingly, after several days, even Xiahou Gong, who was usually indifferent to his family, shared some of the dates he had brought with Zhen De during lunch.

This sight amazed Xiahou Hui, who couldn't help but marvel at it.

You should know that on that day, after Xiahou Zhuang relayed the message, when Xiahou Gong came to see him at the Marquis of Lingzhi's residence, he only said three words.

He first greeted Xiahou Hui with a respectful "Sixth Uncle," then raised his head and looked at him with his eyes, asking why Xiahou Hui had summoned him to the mansion. After learning the reason, he bowed again, said "Good," and then turned and left. If there were anyone present who did not know his temperament, they would surely think that the relationship between the uncle and nephew had reached the point of irreconcilable enmity!
Of course, Xiahou Hui was very pleased with this.

In his opinion, given Xiahou Gong's temperament, it would be difficult for him to become friends with Zhen De. After all, Zhen De was born into wealth and privilege, and he couldn't stand being treated coldly.

As for why he still let Xiahou Gong accompany Zhen De, even though he knew the two would have a difficult time getting along...
It was merely a gesture to appease Emperor Cao Rui.

When Cao Rui sent Zhen De to the Central Guard Officer's Office for training, he immediately interrupted his own nephew's studies and sent him to accompany Zhen De. Isn't this a manifestation of how seriously he took Cao Rui's instructions and how he did not take them lightly?
In the eyes of emperors, the outcome of some things is not important.

The important thing is the attitude of the person implementing it.

To put it another way, did you really think that Cao Rui, as an emperor, cared about whether Zhen De would become successful in the future?
Ministers who flatter their rulers are either treacherous or sycophantic.

But Xiahou Hui had no choice.
Firstly, since the investigation into the Shi family made him realize that he could not be politically compatible with Cao Rui, he had no choice but to temporarily submit for the sake of the future of the Wei dynasty.

Let's just consider it an act of forbearance for the sake of the country.

Another reason, needless to say, stemmed from the sense of crisis brought about by Gao Tanglong's memorial to the throne on his deathbed.

After much deliberation, he decided that the best way to avoid being seen as a "proud and arrogant minister" by Cao Rui was to pretend that he didn't care about the matter.

First, dispel others' doubts by not doubting yourself.

Given Emperor Cao Rui's intelligence, any schemes he attempted would backfire.

We can't repeat the same mistakes.

He had previously recommended Meng Kang as the governor of Hongnong, and he had not forgotten Ding Mi's analysis afterwards.

Therefore, the best way to ensure Cao Rui's trust is to remain calm, have a clear conscience, and appropriately demonstrate respect and loyalty when dealing with matters.

His approach was soon put to the test.

Now, in accordance with the previous agreement with Liu Fang and Sun Zi, he went to the Zhongshu Jian office every few days to fulfill his duties as the concurrent Zhongshu Shilang (Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat), and he came again today.

There were no changes to the Zhongshujian (Central Secretariat) office.

The same low-ranking officials and clerks were still coming and going, all with solemn expressions, not daring to talk privately.

The clerk on duty outside the office remained silent as always, quietly bowing, pushing open the door, bowing his head, and stepping aside to let him in. The only difference was that after he was inside and seated, just as he was about to ask the clerk to fetch some water, he found that the clerk was no longer there.

Even a minor official in charge of me needs to attend to other matters? Although somewhat surprised, Xiahou Hui didn't care much and simply opened the red lacquered cabinet on the desk as usual.

However, there were quite a few documents to review in the next few days, and the storage room was completely full. When I reached out to take one, I suddenly noticed that the texture was different, so I pressed down a little.

As expected, the outermost layer of silk was dented and removed.

Pulling over the red lacquered storage container, one discovers that it is supported in the middle by two carved wooden objects (the prototype of paperweights), and the full space is only filled with one document on the surface and one on the bottom.

Why is that?

Is there any explanation for this?

Xiahou Hui, who had never experienced anything like this since taking up his post at the Secretariat, was somewhat bewildered.

They were also considering whether to go and ask Sun Zi.

Yes, the question is with Sun Zi, not Liu Fang or the minor official who has disappeared somewhere.

Since his son Sun Mi had made meritorious contributions in Liaodong, Sun Zi's attitude towards him became very friendly. Whenever they met, he would stop and chat for a few words, even if it was just casual conversation about "the weather is nice today".

Sometimes Xiahou Hui even maliciously speculated that the biggest reason Sun Zi became so enthusiastic was that he wanted him to write a letter to his elder brother Xiahou Ba in Liaodong so that his son Sun Mi could shine in the following battles (have more opportunities to share the credit) and be ennobled like Ding Mi.

"Huh? Zhiquan is here~"

Just as Xiahou Hui was pondering, a voice came from the doorway. When he looked up, he was surprised to see Sun Zi.

"Master Sun."

Xiahou Hui hurriedly stood up and clasped his hands in greeting. Just as he was about to say something, he saw that Sun Zi did not return the greeting and his gaze was also turned towards the door. He did not stop walking and left only a word of advice with his back.

"Zhiquan has finally arrived. Hmm, there have been many troubles in the court lately, so Zhiquan should also be more diligent."

As his figure disappeared outside the door, the guard who had disappeared earlier reappeared, equally silent, and simply gave Xiahou Hui a distant bow before closing the door.

uh~
It turned out that he had just gone to inform Sun Zi that he had arrived at the office.

Xiahou Hui sat down again, his eyelids drooping. He gently rubbed his beard with his hand, carefully pondering Sun Zi's words.

Even the most dull-witted person could tell that Sun Zi was implying something.

After all, his visit to the Secretariat of the Imperial Secretariat every few days was an agreement with Sun Zi and Liu Fang. Why did Sun Zi suddenly say, "So you're here?"
And then they added, "Finally arrived."

Furthermore, there has been nothing happening in the imperial court recently. The disaster relief efforts for the floods in the four continents have been largely completed, the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai has been cancelled, and Wu and Shu have not invaded. So why is there talk of trouble in the imperial court?
So, what was Sun Zi trying to remind me of?
Xiahou Hui opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the document at the bottom of the red lacquered cabinet.

The most superficial document, which he had just glanced at, was signed by Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, concerning the reconciliation of conflicts and the deployment of defenses among the leaders of the Qiang and Hu tribes in Longxi. It had little to do with him and was not worth Sun Zi keeping quiet about.

Upon taking out the silk scroll, it turned out to be a memorial entitled "Memorial on the Examination and Assessment Methods for Capital Officials" written by Liu Shao, a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate.

Xiahou Hui was generally aware of the matter concerning the examination of officials in the capital.

Previously, Wei Zhen was promoted to Minister of Works. Coincidentally, there was a vacancy in the position of Secretary of the Secretariat in the Office of the Director of the Secretariat. Emperor Cao Rui asked Lu Yu, the Minister of Personnel, to recommend a candidate. He also gave the following advice: "Do not choose someone with a reputation. A reputation is like drawing a cake on the ground; it cannot be eaten."

When he selects talent, he should not choose people who are famous.

In response, Lu Yujin submitted a memorial stating that the method of "clearly assessing officials' talents through merit" had long been abandoned. Furthermore, determining the promotion, demotion, and appointment of officials based on praise and criticism was a last resort, resulting in a mixture of truth and falsehood, and a blurring of the lines between reality and fiction.

Emperor Cao Rui thought this made a lot of sense.

In order to prevent a repeat of the previous "Extravagance Case", an imperial edict was issued ordering Liu Shao, a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, to formulate a method for evaluating officials in the capital.

When Xiahou Hui saw the words "Du Guan Kao Ke Fa" (都官考课法), he knew something was amiss.

The reason is simple.

The Director of the Secretariat was in charge of confidential matters, while the Minister of State Affairs was in charge of all government affairs; their responsibilities were not the same.

For example, the "Examination and Assessment Method of the Capital Officials," which falls under the category of general affairs, should have been forwarded to Emperor Cao Rui by the Ministry of Personnel. There is no reason for it to appear in the Office of the Directorate of the Imperial Secretariat, let alone have a copy made and placed on his own desk!
Therefore, this must be the reason why Sun Zifang's words and actions were inconsistent.

Whether Liu Shao's "Method for Assessing Officials" was feasible and whether it had any biases would inevitably have to be discussed by all the officials, and Xiahou Hui was also free to speak his mind on this matter.

Liu Fang and Sun Zi wouldn't be so bored as to go to the trouble of placing a copy of this memorial on his desk.
Therefore, this move must have been authorized by Emperor Cao Rui.

But after figuring out the reason, Xiahou Hui's doubts only grew: What was Cao Rui trying to do?! (End of Chapter)