Wei Ni

There is no shortage of selfless acts in the world.

But most people follow their selfish and self-loving nature.

Having spent decades in the heart of power, Liu Fang could not afford to be negligent in matters such as recommending a successor for the emperor.

Therefore, his suggestion to include Grand Commandant Sima Yi was intentional.

The reason was that after successfully removing Prince Cao Yu of Yan from the list of regents and thus securing his own career and life, he wanted to further plan for his descendants. His son Liu Xi was under house arrest, and unlike Sun Zi, who heeded Xiahou Hui's advice and sent his son to Liaodong to seek military merit, he could only entrust Liu Xi's career to Sima Yi.

Even if Sun Zi felt that he was deliberately hiding something and would part ways with him in the future, he would not hesitate.

He was already old. And under the unspoken rule of "a new emperor, a new court," anyone who became a regent would not allow him and Sun Zifu to have "exclusive" power. At this last moment when he could wield power, he no longer cared about right or wrong; he simply considered it as a betrayal of their years of friendship.

After making his suggestion, he did not look at Sun Zi.

But he could feel Sun Zi's gaze fixed on him, a mixture of anger, sorrow, pain, and disbelief.

Yes, how could Sun Zi possibly believe it?

A person who had been like a brother to me for over a decade, sharing both glory and hardship, betrayed me at the most important and final moment.

He couldn't even find a reason for this betrayal, and he couldn't console himself by saying it was his own fault or that the other party had unavoidable difficulties.

And he was powerless to stop Liu Fang.

Because he knew that Emperor Cao Rui would definitely be moved by the words, "And Your Majesty, did you not see that the late Emperor entrusted Sima Gong with Your Majesty?"

After all, the main reason why Cao Rui initially chose Prince Cao Yu of Yan as the chief regent instead of Xiahou Hui was because Xiahou Hui's personality was not conducive to the stability of the state.

And wouldn't Sima Yi be just the one who could make up for this?
If Emperor Cao Rui was unwilling to trust a man from a prominent family with a hereditary salary of two thousand piculs of grain, a highly respected minister appointed by the previous emperor, or a veteran of three generations who had served as general and prime minister before voluntarily relinquishing his military power, then who among the court officials could he trust? Moreover, Liu Fang's suggestion to include Grand Commandant Sima Yi in the regent list was intended to leverage Sima Yi's high moral character and prestige to "assist with the ministers," maintain harmony between the court and the people, and provide supplementary guidance to Xiahou Hui, not because Sima Yi held more power than Xiahou Hui and Cao Shuang.
For example, Zhong Yao back then.

After Emperor Cao Rui ascended the throne, he was promoted to Grand Tutor, whose status was above that of the regents Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, Chen Qun and Sima Yi, but in reality he had no real power.

The same is true.

Soon, Sun Zi heard the emperor's praise and the imperial edict to summon Grand Commandant Sima Yi.

So he closed his eyes in great pain.

At this moment, he no longer had the heart to be angry about Liu Fang's betrayal.

Instead, they were grieving for themselves.

He had risked his life to persuade the emperor to appoint a new general, and he had succeeded. However, due to Liu Fang's unforeseen complications, he was ultimately branded a "treacherous official" and condemned by later generations of historians.
He was dragged down by Liu Fang.

They persuaded Emperor Cao Rui to change the Grand General from Prince Cao Yu of Yan to Xiahou Hui, a decision that no one could criticize.

This was because of the edict issued by the late Emperor Cao Pi that "feudal princes are not allowed to assist in government."

May I ask, what wrong did they do by following the late emperor's words?
Who can question whether they have ulterior motives?
However, Liu Fang's suggestion to include Grand Commandant Sima Yi became irrefutable evidence of their abuse of power.

The Wei dynasty was surnamed Cao!

It has only been twenty years since it replaced the Han Dynasty!
Given that both the King of Qin and the King of Qi were young, how to safeguard the state and who should be appointed as the Duke of Zhou? The emperor should only consider the sons of the Xiahou and Cao families. How could a Grand Commandant, Sima Gong, be involved?
What were the motives of the person who facilitated this?
Sun Zi could already foresee that once Xiahou Hui and Sima Yi clashed or even fought each other, regardless of who won, he and Liu Fang would be labeled as the "chief culprits" by the court and the public.

And this is a long-term consideration.

The immediate concern is how Xiahou Hui will view his relationship with Liu Fang.

Originally, Xiahou Hui was second in the list of loyal ministers entrusted with the care of the young emperor, and he was also the one with the highest prestige and the greatest achievements. Now, he suddenly faces the constraint of the "hope of the court and the people". Does he think that he and Liu Fang are helping each other?
Sun Zi had no confidence at all.

Or perhaps, he already had a vague answer in his heart.

When he was young, Emperor Cao Rui, who had just drafted the edict and used the seal, was exhausted. He leaned against the edge of the bed with his head tilted to rest. It was not hard to tell from his tense face and furrowed brows that he was trying his best to keep himself from falling into a coma again.

The others inside the hall also held their breath and remained silent, not daring to make any noise to disturb the peace.

Liu Fang and Sun Zi, who had been allowed to stand up long ago, also stood quietly to the side with their hands at their sides. The difference was that the distance between them seemed to be much wider than before.

Perhaps they were worried about making noise by moving their feet.

Cao Shuang casually offered an answer to his pointless discovery and began to consider his future.

As early as the end of last year, he knew that he would be among those entrusted with the care of his children.

This also provided an advantage for those who guarded the emperor day and night—when the emperor was instructing Prince Yan, Cao Yu, on his final affairs, he repeatedly summoned Cao Yu to listen in and even offered him a few words of encouragement.

At that time, he was very glad that he had not gone out early like Qin Lang and Cao Zhao.

I also admire Xiahou Xuan's foresight in telling Cao Zhao that "it might not necessarily be a bad thing" when he was defeated in the previous campaign against Goguryeo.

However, he is now filled with confusion.

King Cao Yu of Yan has been dismissed, and Xiahou Hui is about to become the Grand General. As a result, Xiahou Hui's position has risen accordingly, and he is now second in line to be entrusted with the care of the young emperor. But is this a good thing for him?
Or perhaps, one should be content. Compared to Qin Lang and Cao Zhao, who were away, and Xiahou Xian, who was exiled, he was already very fortunate. But he really didn't have much confidence that he could have a good life under Xiahou Hui in the future!

Perhaps this is why His Majesty accepted Liu Fang's suggestion and summoned Grand Commandant Sima.

Therefore, should I try to be more friendly with the Grand Commandant in the future?

Hmm. Let's wait until we return and discuss it with Taichu before making a decision.

Just as Cao Shuang was lost in thought and Liu Fang and Sun Zi were already at odds, Xiahou Hui, who had been urgently summoned, arrived.

The reason he was able to arrive faster than the King of Qin and the King of Qi was that he had been staying at Xuanwu Guanchang in the north of the city, which was only separated from the North Gate by one gate, and had just come to pay his respects yesterday.

He was suddenly summoned to Jiafu Palace, and he thought the emperor was in his final moments, so he came in a hurry.

Another reason was that after King Cao Yu of Yan was appointed as the Grand General, he showed him goodwill. King Cao Yu, who was in charge of the imperial guards of the North and South Gates, specifically instructed the gatekeepers that the current situation was critical and that if Xiahou Hui entered the palace to pay his respects, he should be allowed to pass directly without being delayed by passing through multiple layers of messengers.

"Hui, the Commander of the Central Guard, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Upon entering Jiafu Hall, Xiahou Hui, while bowing respectfully, keenly sensed that the atmosphere inside seemed somewhat amiss.
This feeling grew stronger as they failed to find any trace of Prince Cao Yu of Yan.

"It's Zhiquan who's here."

Upon hearing the sound, Emperor Cao Rui opened his eyes, forced a smile, and patted the area in front of his bed, saying, "Zhi Quan, come closer."

"only."

Respectfully responding, Xiahou Hui rose and quickly went to the emperor's sickbed.

However, instead of sitting down sideways like Prince Cao Yu of Yan had done before, he bowed and waited for the emperor's instructions.

"I am very ill. If the affairs of state are left to Zhiquan in the future, what should Zhiquan do?"

This is how the emperor asked the question.

This also caused Xiahou Hui to feel a sudden sense of unease, his mind filled with thoughts of the emperor sending someone to inquire about Xiahou Xian's involvement in the ancestral temple, or perhaps a high-ranking official had made a private report.

He quickly lowered his body to hide the look in his eyes from the emperor, and answered in a calm and unhurried voice, "Your Majesty, I will follow Your Majesty's previous teachings, thinking things through carefully before acting and daring not to act rashly. If I, Hui, also follow Your Majesty's arrangements, I will follow the lead of the Prince of Yan and will certainly not cause any unnecessary trouble."

"What if there were no Prince Yan?"

The emperor then asked, "How should Zhiquan be dealt with?"

If it weren't for the Prince of Yan
Could it be! ?
Xiahou Hui, who had a vague suspicion, calmed down when he heard that it was not about the Imperial Ancestral Temple. He then replied, "Your Majesty, I, your subject Hui, will act in accordance with the answer given by Zhonggong when he asked Confucius about benevolence."

Zhonggong asked Confucius about benevolence, which is recorded in the Yan Yuan chapter of the Analects.

Ran Yong (Zhonggong) asked Confucius what "benevolence" was. Confucius replied: "When you go out, treat others as if you were receiving a great guest; when you employ the people, treat them as if you were performing a great sacrifice. Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. Be without resentment in the state and at home."

"good."

Therefore, after uttering a single word, the emperor closed his eyes to rest.

His face seemed to have relaxed a bit, no longer contorted in pain as before.

The Jiafu Hall returned to its previous silence.

Having roughly figured out what was going on, Xiahou Hui stood silently, not leaving the spot in front of the sickbed that originally belonged to King Cao Yu of Yan.

When he was young, King Cao Xun of Qin, King Cao Fang of Qi, and Grand Commandant Sima Yi all arrived.

After they paid their respects, Emperor Cao Rui did not allow them to rise, but instead quietly turned his head to look at the old eunuch on one side.

The old eunuch, who had been holding the imperial edict in his hands, bowed slightly to the emperor, then slowly walked to the bedside, unfolded the silk, and loudly proclaimed, "His Majesty has issued an edict!"

Everyone inside the temple spontaneously prostrated themselves on the ground.

"Your subject will listen respectfully."

"Your subject is to resign."

The imperial edict was very short; the old eunuch read it aloud in just a few words.

The gist of the matter is that the emperor, feeling his life was nearing its end and that his sons were too young, appointed Xiahou Hui as Grand General, entrusting him with the affairs of state; Cao Shuang, General of the Guards, as second-in-command; and Sima Yi, Grand Commandant, as third-in-command, to assist the successor emperor. After everyone had received their orders, the emperor summoned Cao Fang, the Prince of Qi, to sit on his couch and said to the assembled officials, "Your Highness, this is the right one."

In a short while, their status was established.

After doing all this, Emperor Cao Rui's pained expression eased.

Everything has settled down. Having held on for so long, he has no more obsessions, so he can now calmly walk into eternal darkness.

However, just as he was entering his final moments, slowly closing his eyes without regret, he seemed to suddenly remember something, his eyes widening abruptly, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace. (End of Chapter)