Wei Ni

The somber and desolate atmosphere inside Jiafu Hall did not last long.

Perhaps it was because he had long since given up hope for himself, or perhaps it was because emperors are political creatures, but Emperor Cao Rui, who was the first to calm down, instructed the old eunuch to send Xiahou Hui and Xiahou Xian out of the palace on the grounds that "Your Majesty needs to rest and should not be emotionally agitated for too long." Liu Fang and Sun Zi, who had little involvement to begin with, continued to perform official duties, and even Cao Shuang, the General of the Martial Guard who was guarding the emperor, was sent to stand guard outside the palace.

As for Prince Yan, Cao Yu
It was impossible for the emperor to send him away.

Even before the emperor fell ill, he had already considered having Prince Cao Yu of Yan take charge of the central army to guard the capital region and mediate between the internal and external forces, due to reasons such as Qin Lang's transfer to a post outside the capital, the desire to transfer Xiahou Hui to a post outside the capital, and the incompetence of Xiahou Xian and Cao Zhao.

Now that the emperor is about to entrust his son to someone else, Cao Yu naturally becomes the emperor's first choice.

Therefore, Cao Rui naturally wanted to keep him by his side at all times, so that he could give him detailed instructions whenever he happened to remember something.

That was the reason why the others were sent away earlier.

After Xiahou Hui and the others left one after another, Emperor Cao Rui gestured to Prince Yan Cao Yu to help him sit up, and then gestured to the old eunuch to take out a piece of silk from the Emperor's seal box.

This piece of silk already bears the imperial seal, so it should be called an imperial edict.

"Your Highness, please take a look at this."

The emperor spread the silk in front of him and gestured for Cao Yu to come closer to take a look.

The silk scroll contained only two short lines of text, which stated that he would not live long and therefore appointed King Cao Yu of Yan as Grand General, and to lead the Central Protector General Xiahou Hui, General of the Valiant Cavalry Qin Lang, General of the Martial Guard Cao Shuang, and Governor of Henan Xiahou Xian to assist the new ruler.

Yes, this is an imperial edict entrusting the young emperor with the care of his son!

Emperor Cao Rui had already made a decision in his mind, and Xiahou Xian's name was among those on the list.

After reading this, Prince Cao Yu of Yan, though he had already grasped this meaning from the emperor's words and actions recently, couldn't help but feel moved and sorrowful. He knelt down and choked back tears, "Your Majesty, your subject..."

"stand up."

With a stern tone, Cao Rui's voice was somewhat impassioned, "The Prince of Yan will be the pillar of our Wei dynasty in the future. Do not act like a child; simply serve the new ruler wholeheartedly, and you will have lived up to my expectations. Remember, the Xiahou and Cao families are one, and none is better than Xiahou Xian! You must not disregard the safety of the state for your own selfish reasons!"

"only."

Prince Cao Yu of Yan quickly rose and bowed in response, "Your Majesty's words will be remembered by Your Majesty, and will certainly not be like others."

"Um"

Cao Rui nodded in satisfaction, then placed his hand on the silk, his expression showing disappointment and frustration as he muttered to himself.

"Previously, I appointed him as Commander of the Central Army, showing him great trust and confidence, yet he abused his power and suppressed the descendants of meritorious officials; later, as Governor of Henan, he again, out of jealousy and resentment towards Zhiquan, disregarded the interests of the state and even sent his staff to obstruct the investigation of the Shi family. Even so, I still did not punish him and still placed high hopes on him, including his name among the regents. Yet today, he just...hehehe..."

As he spoke, he suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, and looked up at Prince Yan, Cao Yu, asking, "Alas! Prince Yan, in the eyes of the court officials, am I easily fooled? Do I lack discernment?"

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely not true!"

Upon hearing these words, the Prince of Yan, who was about to kneel in response, remembered the Emperor's instructions and straightened his half-bent leg, bowing deeply as he replied, "Your Majesty's resolute and decisive judgment is the consensus of the court and the people. I dare to urge Your Majesty not to let a few people blinded by greed trouble your mind and cause you to doubt yourself."

"Greed blinds the mind. Greed blinds the mind, haha~"

After muttering twice, the Emperor gave another bitter laugh. "Indeed, the Prince of Yan's words are insightful. Previously, I thought that Zhiquan's eagerness for achievement and willingness to sacrifice his life was unacceptable. Now it seems that Xianzhi's eagerness for power and willingness to slander and frame others is the right approach."

At this point, he suddenly stopped speaking, his face showing anger.

Looking back, he suddenly realized that Xiahou Xian had gone too far in bullying him!
He's sick, not stupid!
The problem is that I'm lacking energy, not that I'm not thinking clearly!

As for how Xiahou Xian learned of Xiahou Hui's private visit to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and why he reported it earlier than the guards stationed there, he could figure it out without needing anyone else's help.

But even with such a huge flaw left, Xiahou Xian still took advantage of him, thinking he couldn't see through it!
They even used this to frame Xiahou Hui!
It's truly hateful!

That is also his tragedy.

The young men from Qiao and Pei whom he had lavishly favored for over a decade, and the trusted ministers whom he had twice refrained from punishing, brazenly deceived the emperor when he was ill and nearing the end of his life!
How could he easily let go of such a blow?
Moreover, if Xiahou Xian hadn't slandered him, he might not have sent Wang Yi to dig up Xiahou Hui's sacrificial prayer letter, in which he offered to die in Xiahou Hui's place, without even inquiring about the reasons.
"Bring me pen and ink!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and suddenly he shouted loudly.

Upon hearing the commotion, Liu Fang and Sun Zi, who were not far away and in charge of general affairs, immediately got up and hurried over to offer him pen and ink. Liu Fang even knelt down in front of him and stretched the silk with both hands so that he could write.

However, after Emperor Cao Rui picked up the brush and dipped it in ink, he held the brush in front of the silk for a long time without writing a single word.

"Ugh!"

After hesitating for a moment, he finally sighed, threw down the pen in his hand, grabbed the edict of entrustment and handed it to Liu Fang, saying, "Burn this and continue to handle general affairs."

It must be because a person is about to die.

Ultimately, he couldn't bear to execute Xiahou Xian because of the friendship they had shared for over a decade.

"only."

Liu Fang and Sun Zi respectfully responded and returned to their seats.

But in the brief moment they were near the emperor's bedside, it was enough for them to catch a glimpse of the edict of entrustment out of the corner of their eyes.

Therefore, while continuing to handle official duties, they couldn't help but exchange a glance, simultaneously holding their breath and straining their ears to catch a faint glimpse of the Emperor and the Prince of Yan's conversation. "Prince of Yan, how many days has it been since the messenger summoned Asu?"

"Your Majesty, today is the third day."

"The third day, the third day. If we summon Changsi, how many days will it take?"

"Your Majesty, it may take two months. Moreover, it is now late winter, and heavy snow in Pingzhou has blocked the mountain roads, so it may take even longer."

"Late winter. Ah~ Hehe, it's getting late. Sigh, never mind, let's not use him to fill the vacancy, let's send more envoys to summon Asu."

"only."

“Zhi Quan is upright, Asu is cautious, Zhao Bo is respectful and humble, and each of the four is thoughtful and measured. Zhi Quan is the most talented among them, and the King of Yan has already witnessed his loyalty. When the King of Yan takes charge of affairs in the future, he should take advantage of each of their strengths and consult with Zhi Quan on all matters.”

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will remember Your Majesty's words and will not act on my own initiative."

"The late Grand Marshal Zhen, on his deathbed, told me that among the sons of the Xiahou and Cao families, the ones suitable to be commanders-in-chief are Zhiquan and Asu. As for those from outside the imperial family, Guanqiu Jian, a minister from my time as a prince, is suitable. I had already made arrangements for this matter, but does the Prince of Yan remember the story of the three sons guarding the border during the late emperor's reign?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Okay. Remember, first secure the internal situation, then send troops to pacify the borders."

"only."

The emperor earnestly instructed the Prince of Yan on how to assist in governing and how to employ people in the future.

Liu Fang and Sun Zi were also diligently handling the affairs of the court, seemingly undisturbed. However, if someone were to get closer, they would find that their eyes were filled with worry, and not just worry about the emperor's impending death.

The following day, on the day of Ren Chen, the emperor issued an edict.

The Prince of Yan, Cao Yu, was appointed as the Grand General, Governor of Henan, and in charge of the Imperial Guards guarding the northern and southern capitals.

He recalled the four battalions of the Garrison to Luoyang and stationed them at Xuanwu Temple at the North Gate to guard the capital. All of them were placed under the command of Xiahou Hui, the Commander of the Central Protectorate Army.

The emperor dispatched Bixie with an imperial edict to dismiss Xiahou Xian from all his official positions, reduce him to commoner status, and never allow him to serve again. He was also ordered to leave the capital immediately and return to his hometown, Qiao County.

Inevitably, this edict once again stirred up undercurrents within the court and among the people.

But no one paid attention to Xiahou Xian's fall from grace.

In the vortex of power, only a select few can stand firm at the bow and ride the waves; the rest will become losers, abandoned in obscure corners.

Xiahou Xian was the first, but definitely not the last.

Therefore, what people are more concerned about is who will be fortunate enough to emerge victorious from this power struggle and stand behind King Cao Yu of Yan and Xiahou Hui, as the power transition is still ongoing.

From the division of responsibilities—one in charge of the palace and the other guarding the capital—people could tell Emperor Cao Rui's intentions: the entrusted generals were to be the Prince of Yan first, and Xiahou Hui second.

Those who come later will be ranked behind.

However, the increasingly clear situation does not mean that everything has been settled.

When Xiahou Hui received the imperial edict, he felt little joy. Instead, his unease grew stronger and his sense of things getting out of control intensified.

Or perhaps, having previously served as the General of the Garrison, he could easily regain control of the four garrison battalions. With these ten thousand elite infantry and cavalry at his disposal, stationed at the north gate of Luoyang, he could remain unperturbed no matter how the situation changed. He could even launch a "restoration" against Prince Cao Yu of Yan, who commanded six thousand palace guards.

After all, Prince Cao Yu of Yan had never held an official position, nor had he ever served in the military.

If it really comes down to a fight to the death, the outcome is not in doubt.

But Xiahou Hui felt an inexplicable unease.

As a military general who had personally risked his life in battle many times before, he had long since developed a temper, so this sense of unease was not the kind of fear of "cowardice in the face of danger".

Rather, it was a sense of crisis stemming from an indescribable feeling of bewilderment and confusion.

It's like having a premonition that something is predetermined and that a change is bound to happen—it's all so vague, ethereal, and absurd.

Ding Mi and Yu Song both noticed his unusual behavior.

Without giving it much thought, Ding Mi praised him a few times with phrases like "having thunder in his heart but a calm face," and then consciously returned to the Lingzhi Marquis's residence.

His unusually excited state, stemming from the success of his scheme, made it unsuitable for him to remain in the Central Guard Officer's Office, lest others criticize Xiahou Huifu for becoming arrogant and domineering after gaining power.

It's not that he lacks self-control.

Rather, it was because he had been dismissed from office and had been frustrated and unsuccessful for too long.

Just like someone who has been constipated for a long time, suddenly the blockage is cleared and a bowel movement is swift, afterwards one feels relaxed and refreshed.

Yu Song vaguely sensed this, and privately reminded him, "Zhi Quan, perhaps you could go to see His Majesty the next day, citing the long-standing separation of the four garrison camps, and obtain His Majesty's approval to temporarily transfer Fu Lanshi to his service." (End of Chapter)