Wei Ni

Since Xiahou Hui was transferred to the position of Central Protector General and Sima Chen Qian resigned due to mourning, the Zhenhu Department has been without a chief officer; moreover, when Emperor Cao Rui established the four Zhenhu Camps, it was stipulated that they would not coordinate with each other.

Therefore, it is reasonable for Yu Song to suggest that Fu Gu be temporarily reassigned.

But his real intention was not that; rather, it was to free Xiahou Hui from trivial matters.

After all, the current situation is sensitive.
If Xiahou Hui is tied up with the duties of settling and protecting the four camps and daily military affairs, and cannot go to see the emperor every now and then, what if someone else interferes?

Don't question the possibility of this happening.

Just think about how Prince Fusu of the Qin Empire was forced to commit suicide.

Fu Gu was previously an Attendant Gentleman of the Garrison Command and a confidant of Xiahou Hui. He was capable of temporarily handling the military affairs of the Garrison Command. Fu Gu could also handle the affairs of the Central Guard Officer's Office. In this way, Xiahou Hui could maintain his current frequency of entering the palace to pay homage every two or three days and do his best to preserve the situation that was favorable to him.

Xiahou Hui was fully aware of Yu Song's true intentions, and therefore immediately nodded in agreement to put them into practice.

Even so, a sense of unease remained in his heart.

There are four reasons.

Firstly, the next day would be the last day of the second year of Jingchu.

When he came out of Jiafu Hall yesterday, he saw that Emperor Cao Rui, who had experienced the incident at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, looked much more pale and sickly than in the previous days. Perhaps he might not be able to hold on until the 22nd day of the first month (Dinghai day) as originally planned in history.

The second is that things are not yet settled.

The *Strategies of the Warring States* states, "When you've traveled a hundred li, ninety is the halfway point." Judging by the current situation, Xiahou Hui would dare say he's already reached "ninety-nine."

But at this critical juncture, everyone is walking on thin ice.

Even if he has taken ninety-nine steps, if he loses his footing on the last step, he will fall into an abyss and never recover.

The third reason is that things went too smoothly.

From plotting to oust Xiahou Xian to being granted military power by the emperor and pre-selected as one of the regents, things went too smoothly for him, which suddenly reminded him of the "Nine at the top of the I Ching: The dragon soaring too high will have regrets."

In other words, he and Prince Yan, Cao Yu, both became targets of public criticism.

Anyone seeking to profit from this power transition, anyone with the power to influence the situation, cannot bypass him and Cao Yu if they wish to do anything. Therefore, they will be like venomous snakes hidden in rotten cotton, watching him and Cao Yu intently, waiting for the opportune moment to strike decisively.

People die for money.

For the sake of power, even with only a sliver of hope, they would willingly become moths drawn to a flame, one after another, without hesitation in their deaths.

Fortunately, none of the high-ranking officials made any moves.

They also had their own interests to consider. Furthermore, when Emperor Wen of Han (Cao Pi) selected his regents, he chose two members of the imperial clan and two important ministers.
Who can say for sure whether the current emperor will follow the example of his predecessor?

Even with this belated realization, Xiahou Hui, whose duties had been assigned in advance by Emperor Cao Rui, was essentially bound hand and foot and could do nothing more but observe the unfolding events.

Ultimately, the Imperial Ancestral Temple Incident succeeded.

Emperor Cao Rui was very intelligent, and the Wei court was not lacking in insightful and experienced individuals.

So, after Cao Rui calmed down, would he review the whole incident in his mind? Would anyone in the court discover something illogical and point it out to the emperor?

For example, he sent someone to chase after Xiahou Xian and ask him how he learned about his visit to the ancestral temple.

Then they investigated Ren Ye, and eventually he implicated them.

He didn't even need to confirm his own involvement, as long as he traced it back to Ren Ye, who was under his command—he only needed to give Cao Rui a vague mention.

Knowing he was nearing the end of his life, Cao Rui had neither the time nor the patience to investigate thoroughly, so he preferred to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free!

Even if Xiahou Hui is not dismissed or abandoned, he will definitely be removed from the list of those entrusted with the care of the young emperor.

Therefore, Xiahou Hui was conflicted for quite some time.

The thought of whether or not to send someone to silence Xiahou Xian, who had been banished from the capital Luoyang, to prevent future troubles, tormented his conscience.

Of course, he eventually gave up on the idea.

It's not that I'm weak-willed or not ruthless enough.

Rather, Xiahou Xianruo died on the way, making him the prime suspect.

Isn't it unnecessary?
Compared to provoking the emperor's most sensitive nerve, it's not a big deal for someone to go looking for Xiahou Xian and digging into his past.

Furthermore, since this hidden danger was already triggered by conspiracies and tricks, why resort to underhanded tactics to resolve it? Aren't you worried about triggering even greater hidden dangers?

It's better to remain still than to act rashly; let's just accept things as they are.

Having calmed his uneasy emotions in this way, Xiahou Hui had no more distracting thoughts.

The days are very short in late winter, December.

Because of the heavy snow that had been falling for several days, the sky darkened shortly after dusk.

At the southeast corner of the South Gate (palace), Grand Commandant Sima Yi stood in front of his office, watching his subordinates trudging through a foot-deep snow as they left the palace one after another through the Kaiyang Gate, his face expressionless.

For nearly half a month, he had been staying in the Grand Commandant's mansion and had not returned home. Situ Weizhen and Sikong Cuilin were in the same situation.

This is also something that can't be helped.

Emperor Cao Rui had been ill for a long time and was unable to preside over court assemblies or receive all those who came to petition the emperor.

At such a time, the three highest officials, as the heads of the court, naturally have an inescapable responsibility to stabilize the hearts and minds of the people.

For example, the three of them would go to the Jiafu Hall every morning to pay their respects to the emperor, so that the court officials would not speculate that there were treacherous officials taking advantage of the emperor's illness to forge imperial edicts and disrupt the order; as long as the three of them were in their offices, the court officials would feel that the court still had a backbone, and they could perform their duties with peace of mind without worrying that things would get out of control and cause chaos in the palace.

However, while he could reassure people's hearts, he could not reassure his own.

Because when he went to pay his respects to Emperor Cao Rui every day, he keenly noticed that the emperor's complexion was getting worse day by day; even Prince Yan Cao Yu did not deny that the emperor's daily meals were decreasing.

This also meant that the emperor's fate was no longer in doubt, which made Sima Yi very sad and heartbroken.

The grief stems from the fact that the emperor's days are numbered.

He had deep feelings for both the late Emperor Cao Pi and the current Emperor Cao Rui.

Because these two emperors were incredibly generous to him and his family, giving them almost everything they could.

The Sima clan of Hanoi was merely a mid-level aristocratic family in the previous dynasty, but after entering the Wei dynasty, it rose to the top ranks and became unmatched.

He personally became a regent minister by imperial decree, holding one of the three highest positions, and also achieved the highest aspiration of scholars: to become both a general and a prime minister.

What more could a subject ask for? What more could he regret in death?

The sadness is for oneself.

He has now reached the pinnacle of his power and has relinquished his military authority to return to the capital to await the day he dies of old age, so that he may gain fame before and after his death and make a perfect exit from his life.

The emperor who bestowed such honor upon him was destined to die even earlier than him!
How could this not sadden him?
It wasn't that he was worried about facing a powerful ruler like Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin, or falling into the same trap as Wen Zhong, who said, "When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked."

Rather, he could predict with certainty that he would inevitably face targeting and suppression in the future.

There was nothing that could be done; the ruler was young and the country was suspicious.

Moreover, the current Emperor Cao Rui favors the Prince of Yan, Cao Yu, and Xiahou Hui, who are entrusted with the care of the young emperor, but their prestige is far lower than his.

Prestige can reassure people and allow one to command court officials as easily as one's own arm.

When a ruler entrusts his son to another ruler and feels he lacks prestige, how can he quickly establish authority?

The best way is to use him, the Grand Commandant, as a target, right?
Furthermore, the power dynamics within the imperial court are complex, and it's impossible for court officials to yield to Cao Yu and Xiahou Hui on every matter. Once a conflict arises, they, with their high prestige, will inevitably be used as pawns to challenge them.

And he couldn't refuse.

If he refused, they would criticize him privately for disregarding the state and forgetting the favor of the previous two emperors. But if he didn't refuse, wouldn't he be forced to confront Cao Yu and Xiahou Hui head-on?
Alas, having too much prestige is a sin in itself, and to hold the highest position in the court and not die young is even more of a torment.

Hearing the guards on the Kaiyang Gate tower sound the closing drum, Sima Yi lost his composure, reached out and caught a few snowflakes, watching them melt in his palm. A sense of sorrow welled up in his heart, a feeling that he could not retreat after achieving his goal.

Just then, the creaking sound of the heavy city gate being pushed stopped, and the faint sound of the gatekeepers talking could be heard, which drew Sima Yi's attention back to the gate.

They also happened to see two people slip out through the crack in the city gate that was about to close.

Who dares to sneak into the Southern Palace at night?!
Suddenly his expression turned solemn as he focused his gaze on the snow, but when he could see clearly through the wind and snow, his expression softened.

Because those two were Sima Shi and Sima Zhao.

"Father."

The two people who had walked over quickly stopped and bowed.

Sima Shi remained silent, while Sima Zhao added, "Father, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. My brother and I were worried about you, so we brought some clothes over. It's just in time for the city gates to close, so it shouldn't disturb your work, Father."

You didn't come at the right time; you deliberately chose this moment to make it impossible for me to send you away.

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi couldn't help but find it amusing.

But they didn't expose them, after all, they were just being filial.

"No, it won't. Come in, it's snowing heavily outside."

"only."

The father and his two sons walked through the government office and sat down in the innermost hut.

After his attendants moved the brazier over, warmed the wine, and left, Sima Yi finally turned his gaze to Sima Shi. "When did Ziyuan arrive in the capital?"

Before he took up his post at the Grand Commandant's residence, Sima Zhao had already come to the capital from his hometown of Wen County.

The reason was that the emperor had previously promised to bestow an official position upon him at the end of the year. However, he made a wasted trip, as the emperor fell ill and could no longer attend to the matter. Meanwhile, Sima Shi, who was originally supposed to stay in his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors, was now in the capital, so he naturally had to ask him about it.

"Father, it was yesterday."

Sima Shi lowered his head in reply, adding, "I have already arranged everything at home, Father, you need not worry." (End of Chapter)