Wei Ni

Everyone in the East Hall knew Cao Shuang's intentions.

Although he was not as high-ranking as General Xiahou Hui, he, like Sima Yi, had the power to command troops and oversee military affairs.

Therefore, his recommendation of candidates was based on the intention of consolidating his power by installing his cronies.

Wenqin goes without saying.

In his early years, when the campaign against Liaodong was about to begin, Emperor Cao Rui originally intended for Wen Qin to accompany him, but Xiahou Hui nominated his own elder brother, Xiahou Ba, to replace him. Afterwards, Wen Qin harbored much resentment towards Xiahou Hui, which led to his connection with Cao Shuang. As for Cavalry Commandant Xu Yun, he was on good terms with Xiahou Xuan and thus also caught Cao Shuang's eye.

In truth, there's nothing wrong with what he did.

As a regent, one must have both the title and the substance.
He and Xiahou Hui currently have no trusted confidants in the imperial court, nor any henchmen controlling troops in local prefectures and counties. Compared to Sima Yi, they are merely figures in name only.

If one does not live up to one's reputation, how can one assist the emperor in governing the country well?

His mistake was being too eager, and his choice of recommenders was also inappropriate.

For example, Wen Qin, who served as the prefect of Lujiang in his early years.

He had a long-standing feud with Wang Ling, the governor of Yangzhou, and his being summoned back to the capital and left idle was also due to Wang Ling's impeachment.

Furthermore, Man Chong is already eighty years old, and has submitted countless petitions requesting to retire. According to custom, if Man Chong were to return to court, Wang Ling would be the obvious choice to succeed him as General Who Conquers the East. Therefore, how could the court allow Wen Qin to go to the eastern front?

Discord between generals is a major taboo in military strategy!

Xu Yun was indeed capable in terms of talent and experience, but there were many people who were more qualified than him.
Therefore, everyone in the East Hall fell silent.

Cao Shuang, known for his humility, has always been well-liked.

Moreover, now that he is a regent, the ministers do not want to suggest their own candidates and offend him.

In the silence, Lu Yu, the Minister of Personnel, felt somewhat helpless, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say tactfully, "The selection of General of Chariots and Cavalry seems inappropriate, as Wen Qin was recalled from Huainan by the late emperor in his early years. The next best candidate, Cavalry Commandant Xu Yun, might be suitable for the position."

After speaking, his eyes fell on Xiahou Hui and Sima Yi.

The meaning is clear: Cao Shuang has made his recommendation, but it will be difficult for the other officials and ministers to make their own recommendations. How can the two of you be chosen?

Sima Yi, who was determined to avoid suspicion, remained silent.

Xiahou Hui then stood up, bowed, and left, saying, "I know there are few people, and none of them are willing to support me. After the officials have reached a consensus, I will submit a memorial to Your Majesty to stop."

Huh, they actually delegated power directly?

The crowd was somewhat surprised and quickly stood up to return the greeting with clasped hands.

Once he left, no one dared to object to Cao Shuang's choice, and the matter was quickly settled.

The efficiency was so high that even Cao Shuang himself was somewhat surprised.

They even began to wonder if Xiahou Hui's actions were an attempt to reconcile with him. If so, did they still need to curry favor with Grand Commandant Sima Yi?

But what he didn't know was that Lu Yu, on his way back to the Ministry of Personnel from the East Hall, actually ran into Xiahou Hui along the way.

The General's Office and the Ministry of Personnel are not in the same direction.

Clearly, Xiahou Hui was waiting for him.

"General."

Lu Yu, who greeted the messenger respectfully, awaited his instructions.

"No need for formalities."

Xiahou Hui, who was standing with his hands behind his back, turned around, nodded, and said softly, "The late emperor once said, 'Whether or not the right person is found depends on Lu Sheng.' If there are any vacancies in the future that need to be decided by the court, Minister Lu can first propose one or two candidates for public discussion. We are responsible for assisting the government, and we should follow the rules in all matters and not take away Minister Lu's power."

"only!"

Lu Yu paused for a moment, then said gratefully, "This official was negligent; I will certainly not do so again in the future."

“I was just saying it casually, and I didn’t mean to blame anyone.”

Waving his hand, Xiahou Hui first offered a word of comfort, then changed the subject, "Minister Lu is in charge of elections, so he should be in charge of the year-end reports from various prefectures and counties. In Ji Province, Yu Province, and Yan Province, are there any prefects who are incompetent or whose administration is poor?"

Incompetent or politically incompetent.
Is this asking me if there are any governors in these three states who can be transferred?
Knowing the situation well, Lu Yu carefully reviewed the plans from the end of last year before shaking his head slightly and saying, "Reporting to the General, there are none in these three prefectures."

"Um"

After noting down the nasal sounds, Xiahou Hui pondered for a moment and then asked again, "What about Wang Boyu, the Prefect of Anping?"

"Reporting to the General, Anping County was rated as above average last year. It was not because Wang Boyu lacked talent, but because he mobilized corvée labor and conscripted resources to attack Pingzhou."

"I understand, thank you for your trouble."

"Don't dare."

As they parted ways and went their separate ways, Lu Yu's mind was filled with thoughts.

He couldn't figure out why Xiahou Hui had suddenly mentioned Wang Ji.

Wang Ji was an official under Wang Ling in his early years and was highly regarded by Wang Ling. So, was Xiahou Hui implying that Wang Ji was the most suitable candidate for the position of governor of Anfeng?

But just now in the East Hall, they had already prepared a memorial and sent it to the Nine Dragons Hall for the Emperor to review!
It's no longer possible to change Xu Yun to Wang Ji!
Could it be that they want to assess Wang Ji's abilities and see if he is suitable to be appointed as a subordinate of the Grand General?

But why ask about the governors of the three provinces of Ji, Yu, and Yan?

Completely baffled, Lu Yu simply stopped trying to figure it out.

For an old minister like him, the fact that Xiahou Hui, who was in charge of the affairs of the Secretariat, clearly stated that he had no intention of usurping the authority of the various ministers and would not disrupt the court system was enough to put his mind at ease.

At the Southern Palace, in the General's Office, Xiahou Hui returned as the last rays of the setting sun shone through the night. He waved for Han Long and his entourage to go and have their meal, while he went into his office and sat alone, having no appetite.

He saw a crisis in Cao Shuang.

Cao Shuang, who has only recently gained the power to criticize, is already showing signs of making foolish mistakes.

The recommendation of Anfeng Prefect is the best proof of this.

It's not that he shouldn't have recommended him, nor is it that his practice of placing his cronies was wrong.

Rather, he was too impatient.

They completely fail to understand that those in positions of authority should maintain a respectful and awe-inspiring demeanor to avoid being figured out and exploited by those below.

Therefore, Xiahou Hui was worried that Cao Shuang would continue to make foolish mistakes in the future, eventually causing the situation to spiral out of control.

Although he had never considered Cao Shuang a rival, and now, as fellow regents, he harbored no intention of harming or ostracizing Cao Shuang, he had a premonition that Cao Shuang would definitely regard him as an opponent and would stubbornly engage in open and covert struggles with him in the future.

Xiahou Hui was not afraid of open and covert struggles with him.

And I am very confident that I will be the ultimate winner.

However, he also knew that the conflict between the imperial clan and the youths of Qiao and Pei would severely damage the prestige of the Wei dynasty and alienate the people; moreover, he himself would be distracted and pay a heavy price in the process. And then, others might benefit from it.

Or perhaps Cao Shuang wasn't stupid; he should have known the principle of "when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."

Xiahou Hui knew that Cao Shuang was not stupid at all, but unfortunately he was foolish!
Being stupid and being dumb are two different things.

For those who are slow learners, as long as you have more patience to guide them and spend more time teaching them, you can help them understand the greater good.

But fools are beyond redemption.

Fools live in their own world, lacking self-awareness and possessing a delusional self-confidence; they cannot listen to others' advice, cannot see the essence of things, and are even less able to distinguish right from wrong!
Xiahou Hui, now a Grand General, possessed the absolute strength and confidence to transform Sima Yi into a model of loyalty and virtue for the Wei Kingdom, a figure remembered for generations. However, the presence of Cao Shuang always made him feel uneasy, as the future was fraught with unpredictable factors.

He even started to fantasize about how wonderful it would be if Cao Shuang were to form an alliance with Sima Yi right now and fight side by side.
In this way, when he was suppressing Sima Yi, he didn't need to spare any energy to pay attention to Cao Shuang, who might cause trouble at any time.

Of course, he quickly dismissed this unrealistic idea.

However, it is still possible to guide the situation accordingly.

For those in power, the most basic political tactic is to use power to achieve their goals.

We can take advantage of Cao Shuang's stupidity to achieve our goal of installing our confidants to control the capital and surrounding areas.

This is why he asked Lu Yu about whether the governors of the three prefectures could be transferred to other posts: since Cao Shuang was so eager to make his move, he would lend him another helping hand.

"Childhood rights?"

A call interrupted his thoughts.

Looking up, he saw Ding Mi standing at the entrance of the office, with a servant carrying a food tray beside him.

"Come in."

Having received permission, Ding Mi went straight over and lit the candles. After the old servant put down the food table and left, he spoke up, "I know that Zhiquan is currently walking on thin ice, but he should also pay attention to his diet. Zhiquan asked me to take good care of the family, and my sister-in-law always asks me to remind Zhiquan to remember to eat even when he is busy with official duties whenever I go out."

Xiahou Hui, who had little appetite to begin with, couldn't help but give a wry smile upon hearing this, and got up to go eat.

Since Emperor Ming Cao Rui moved to Jiafu Palace, he has never returned to his residence. He hasn't even named his two sons, who were born just over ten days apart at the end of last year.

This is the price that those in high positions inevitably have to pay.

"How is the situation at the manor?"

Xiahou Hui, who was stuffing food haphazardly into his mouth, asked indistinctly.

"Everything is fine."

Ding Mi replied, "The newborn is quite adorable. It's just that Xiao Quji often asks me when you will return home and whether I can bring him to find you."

"Ha~"

Xiahou Hui paused for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.

After laughing, his thoughts shifted from the warmth of his wife and children to power. "Yanjing, please help me draft a few memorials."

"it is good."

Ding Mi did not refuse and went straight to the head seat of the office, picked up a brush and started writing, "Zhi Quan, please speak."

"First, Cao Xi was appointed General of the Imperial Guard, Cao Xun was appointed General of the Central Fortress, and Cao Yan was appointed Gentleman Attendant and Lecturer to the Emperor. Yan Jing should know how to embellish the wording."

It was due to the merits of the late Grand Marshal and the kinship with the imperial family.

I know that, but why did you petition for an official position for Cao Shuang's brother?

Ding Mi wondered to herself, then after a moment's thought, she began to write.

As he put down his brush, picked up a silk cloth, and gently blew the ink dry, Xiahou Hui, who had already finished his meal, came over and sat down to the side, continuing, "The other is to recommend Guo Zhi, the Tiger-General of the Central Army, as General of the Central Army, and Guo Li, the Cavalry Commandant, as Tiger-General of the Central Army, to be in charge of the palace guards. Hmm, that is, my three thousand imperial guards."

"what?!"

Even though he had experienced many ups and downs, Ding Mi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. He quickly advised, "Although I know that Zhiquan intends to curry favor with Empress Dowager Guo, the women of the inner palace are not allowed to participate in politics. Zhiquan is entrusting military power to her. Should we reconsider?"

"Yanjing, don't rush to persuade me; I have another memorial to present." (End of Chapter)