Wei Ni

As it turns out, Xiahou Heng, who served as a redundant official, detached from the central government and detached from the ups and downs of officialdom for twenty years, accurately predicted the development of events.

After Gao Tanglong's dying memorial became known, Xiahou Xian indeed took no action.

He had the will, but he didn't dare.

He still remembered the stern words, "This is the last time," spoken by the primordial emperor Cao Rui when he ordered the execution of his advisors.

That was the first time in his life he had seen coldness in Cao Rui's eyes.

This coldness is unique to monarchs, also known as the wrath of the Son of Heaven, enough to erase the friendship accumulated over a decade.

But he was also very unwilling to give up.

Opportunities to slander Xiahou Hui are not always available.

After much deliberation, one evening, he disguised himself and went to a small settlement outside the south of the city, quietly waiting for Ren Ye to return.

Having once served as the commander of the central army, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to find out when Ren Ye, the commander of the central army, would take a break. What troubled him was that Ren Ye had already refused.

At that time, when he sent someone to pay his respects to his advisor Ren Mingshi, he also took the opportunity to recruit Ren Ye to his service.

However, following his deceased brother's instructions, Ren Ye simply said that his brother had already repaid the Xiahou family's kindness with his life, and that the two families would have no further connection in the future.

Upon receiving the report, Xiahou Xian was initially furious.

They thought that a dog that relied on the scraps of food given to it by the Xiahou family to fill its belly and had grown tall dared to disobey its master!
However, considering that Ren Ming's body was still warm and that he still felt some guilt, he did not insist on pursuing the matter or hold him accountable.

Let's just assume that the dog was stolen and eaten by a beggar.

But now, he has condescended to come here, which is out of necessity.

He suddenly realized that even the dying words of a highly favored figure like Gao Tanglong could not make Emperor Cao Rui harbor any resentment towards Xiahou Hui.

Yes, he realized it.

In Emperor Cao Rui's heart, Xiahou Hui was already far superior to him.

This kind of realization can drive people mad.

Tormented by greed and anger, he was tormented by the stark psychological contrast between "the bright moon hangs high and shines alone on me" and "the bright moon once hung high and shone alone on me," and he did not hesitate to lower himself to treat an ant with humility and generosity.

Of course, he only thought he was being condescending.

Ren Ye felt no gratitude whatsoever for his uninvited arrival, but rather a strong aversion to it. He walked past him without stopping or glancing at him.

This action infuriated Xiahou Xian.

You should know that even Emperor Cao Rui never ignored him!

But when he needed someone's help, he ultimately held back.

He called out to Ren Ye directly, already knowing that the "treat a man with courtesy" approach wouldn't work. He didn't waste any more words and said directly, "Helping me is avenging your brother. I won't put you in danger. You just need to pay attention to Xiahou Hui's words and actions when you're on duty, and report any suspicious things to me. And don't rush to answer me. Next time you're on leave, someone will be here waiting for your decision."

After saying that, he turned around, got into his car, and left.

This caused Ren Ye, who had been expressionless, to have a very complicated look in his eyes.

He wasn't moved by Xiahou Xian's words, but rather sensed the danger of rejection.

A county magistrate who ruined a family, a magistrate who exterminated an entire clan.

Given Xiahou Xian's background and current position as the Governor of Henan, he has plenty of ways and means to ruin the family of a military officer with no connections in Luoyang.

Humble people often lack autonomy.

But Ren Ye was lucky; he had a choice.

What Xiahou Xian didn't know was that when Ren Ye returned to his post in Luoyang after finishing his brother's funeral, he immediately went to find Xiahou Hui as instructed by his brother.

Xiahou Hui was not at all surprised by his request for a private meeting.

And while he hesitated, unsure how to begin, he bluntly stated, “Your brother’s death was not my intention. But I did not kill Bo Ren, yet Bo Ren died because of me. If you consider me an enemy, I do not mind; if you are worried about being framed and punished by me and want to be transferred elsewhere, I will grant your wish.”

At that moment, Ren Ye was completely stunned.

He never imagined that Xiahou Hui already knew all about him.

However, he was, after all, a general who had risked his life on the battlefield, and he quickly regained his composure. "My brother and I have no enmity in Luoyang. Please enlighten me, General, when did you learn of my connection with the Governor of Henan?"

“I knew about you a long time ago. I knew about you when the town protection department was selecting generals.”

It is indeed very early~
At that time, the town's protection department had only been established for two months.

Suddenly feeling exposed, Ren Ye was deeply moved and even more puzzled. "If that's the case, then why did the general choose me as the commander of a thousand men and then recommend me for promotion to colonel after the campaign against Liaodong?"

"Why ask such a question! The army has its own laws, the capable rise to the top, merits are recorded and mistakes are punished. Besides, the Luoyang Central Army is His Majesty's army, the army of our Wei Dynasty, what does it have to do with Xiahou Yunjin! Do you think I have anything to fear?"

Xiahou Hui, who had been answering with a serious expression, even smiled after he finished speaking.

Ren Ye did not feel underestimated.

He knew that Xiahou Hui was not mocking him, but rather that his smile stemmed from confidence.

Therefore, he finally understood his deceased brother's words, "Power will kill me," and finally understood why he was sent to find Xiahou Hui.

Luoyang is both a land of virtue and a deep abyss of evil.

Everyone who can establish themselves in such a place is a deeply rooted tree, or even a monstrous beast that devours people without spitting out the bones. Small saplings and ants like him, without any foundation, need someone to rely on in order to avoid being completely swallowed up.

Therefore, he did not hesitate any longer and volunteered to be Xiahou Hui's vanguard. However, Xiahou Hui refused his offer of allegiance and ended the meeting with these words: "As I just said, the central army in Luoyang is a soldier of my Wei dynasty, and has nothing to do with Xiahou Yunjin, nor is it under my control."

Ren Ye did not feel ashamed or disappointed by the rejection.

Instead, they felt grateful.

If given the opportunity to control their own lives, who would willingly become someone else's lackey?

But now, when Xiahou Xian found him, he had no choice but to ask Xiahou Hui for protection—since his fate as a lackey was unchangeable, he could only try his best to choose a good master.

However, he was rejected again.

When Xiahou Hui learned the whole story, he first lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before rejecting his request, but gave him two options to resolve the threat.

Firstly, he acted according to Xiahou Xian's advice.

Xiahou Hui claimed that he had nothing to hide from others regarding his words and actions, and did not mind being monitored. Since Xiahou Xian wanted to know him at all times, Ren Ye would grant his wish.

Another option is to transfer Ren Ye away from the capital, Luoyang.

You can go to Huainan, Xuzhou, or Liaodong if you want; these are all places where Xiahou Xian has no influence. Moreover, Xiahou Hui will also relocate Ren Ye's family there to avoid any worries.

Ren Ye chose the first option without hesitation.

It wasn't that he was worried that Xiahou Xian's power would grow and influence Huainan, Xuzhou, or Liaodong in the future; rather, he buried his elder brother outside Luoyang and didn't want to move the grave and disturb his soul's peace.

Therefore, after he explained the reason, Xiahou Hui, who was quite moved, gave him a promise.

"If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can come to me, and I will surely protect you for the time being."

Could this be considered being protected?
Although it was only a one-time thing, I didn't become a lackey.

With this thought in mind, Ren Ye thanked her profusely and left, unaware that he had already become Xiahou Hui's pawn.

That's right, they are chess pieces.

It was used to dig a pit for Xiahou Xian to jump into.

It's not that Xiahou Hui could easily confuse the public with his intelligence; what Ren Ye obtained from surveillance was only what he wanted Ren Ye to see and know.

If that were the case, he wouldn't have made that promise to Ren Ye.

Xiahou Hui was a man of some conscience; he did not intend to discard Ren Ye, this pawn, once he had used him.

Therefore, he only wanted Xiahou Xian to trap himself in his own trap.

For example, if a person is carrying a pickaxe in a cemetery, a kind-hearted person would think that he is there to repair the graves and weed the ground; while a malicious person would suspect that he is going to dig up the graves and steal the funerary objects.

The same thing can have different meanings in the eyes of people with different mindsets.

Xiahou Xian didn't hesitate to use threats to force Ren Ye to monitor him. Was his intention still pure?

Sure enough~
The elder brother Xiahou Heng's instruction to "use one's own righteousness to plot against the wickedness of others" was very wise.

It is no coincidence.

Xiahou Xian was not the only one who had taken notice of the "eagle-like minister".

Cao Zhao and Cao Shuang were also tempted by it.

The difference was that Cao Zhao was still wary of the previous incident of the "passive death" of the governor of Hongnong, and also thought that the war against Goguryeo and Hanye was about to begin. In order to avoid any unforeseen complications, he abandoned the idea.

Cao Shuang, however, was dissuaded.

"Qin Yuanming is cautious and meticulous, and Zhao Bo is humble and virtuous, both of whom are highly praised by the court and the public. Now, Gao Tangsheng has submitted a memorial on his deathbed, saying that our Wei dynasty will soon have a ruthless minister who will cause trouble from within. If we can handle things properly, we may be able to appease Zhao Bo."

He Yan, who had been supported and treated with courtesy by Cao Shuang for many years, offered his advice in this way.

Cao Shuang was tempted.

When they sought out Xiahou Xuan to discuss the matter, they were rendered speechless by two questions posed to them.

"Does Zhao Bo still remember the letter Cao Changsi sent earlier, which discussed amicable relations, and what we talked about?"

"Your Excellency's claim is entirely fabricated. With Your Majesty's wisdom, does Zhao Bo believe this undertaking can succeed? Or might it backfire?"

Okay.

Cao Shuang, belatedly realizing the situation, could only ease the embarrassment by humbly accepting instruction, saying, "Without Taichu, I would have surely made a mistake."

Xiahou Xuan was quite pleased with this.

What he admired most about Cao Shuang was his ability to listen to advice.

Therefore, he added, "In my opinion, Zhao Bo should advise His Majesty on this matter, to show that His Majesty previously warned against doing evil with my uncle, and Zhao Bo has already followed that advice."

The next morning.

When Cao Shuang entered the palace to serve, he sought out a time when Emperor Cao Rui had free time to offer his advice.

He said, “Your Majesty, I had some subordinates who instigated me to slander Xiahou Zhiquan as a ‘ambitious minister.’ I have already expelled them. The reason I am bringing this matter to Your Majesty’s attention is not because I wish to seek the truth, but because I know that there are many sycophants and framing villains. Therefore, I am informing Your Majesty in advance so that Your Majesty will not suspect that Zhiquan is involved with others.”

"Oh? Is Zhao Bo speaking on behalf of Zhi Quan?"

"Your Majesty, I am not speaking on behalf of Zhi Quan, but rather I do not wish for treacherous officials to harm the state of Wei."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Cao Rui was overjoyed. (End of Chapter)