Wei Ni

Sun Li and Xiahou Hui were not strangers.

Although we didn't interact much during our early years on the Huainan front, we got along very well.

For example, the cooperation was very pleasant during the attack on Wancheng Valley.

Therefore, everyone knew that Xiahou Hui's act of bringing Sun Li, who had returned to the court, to the Nine Dragon Hall to pay homage to the emperor and receive the late emperor's edict was just a pretense. After all, the chief clerk, military advisor, and attendant generals under the Grand General would all be given additional titles such as Gentleman Attendant and Attendant-in-Ordinary, which granted them the power to directly knock on the palace gates and meet the emperor.

Sun Li understood this as well.

Therefore, while waiting to be announced at Sima Gate, they exchanged a few brief pleasantries before he took the initiative to ask, "I wonder what instructions the General has for me?"

This shows that his upright character is not an exaggeration.

"It's nothing urgent."

Xiahou Hui smiled and said slowly, "Chief Secretary Sun, we are old acquaintances and know each other's personalities quite well, so I won't stand on ceremony. I have both official and private matters to attend to here. The official matter is that after you have an audience with His Majesty, you should return to your residence and rest for ten days before coming back to the office to take up your duties."

Ten days?

Although he knew that Xiahou Hui was being considerate of his exhaustion from his journey back from Huainan, ten days of rest was too long, long enough for him to realize that there was a deeper meaning behind it.

"Is it the Great General?"

Slightly taken aback, Sun Li asked in a low voice, then stopped mid-sentence.

"Ah."

Nodding slightly, Xiahou Hui continued, "The Chief Secretary has been serving the country on the frontier for a long time. Now that he has returned to the capital, he should have more time to reunite with his family, relatives, friends, and acquaintances. This is also a good opportunity to learn about the current situation in the capital so that he can handle his duties smoothly after taking office. Furthermore, the Chief Secretary was highly regarded by the late Emperor. Since he missed the day of the funeral, he should set aside two days to visit the Gaoping Mausoleum."

Understood.

It is an implication that the capital is not what it used to be, and that we should be cautious in everything we do.

Let me first seek out new and old friends to understand the actual powers and responsibilities of the officials in the court, so that when I, as the Chief Secretary of the General, handle general affairs, I can avoid making mistakes and prevent any disturbances in the court.

Seeing Xiahou Hui's look of realization, he continued, "It is because I haven't seen General Man for a long time. I wanted to ask the Chief Clerk about General Man's recent situation. When the Chief Clerk stepped down as Prefect of Lujiang, did he pass on any words to me?"

"Reporting to the General, General Man is well."

Upon hearing this, Sun Li lowered his head. "It's just that my hearing and eyesight are failing, and I need to rest for a long time every day. Also, General Man instructed his subordinates to tell the Grand General that his exact words were, 'I am eighty years old.'"

"Ugh!"

Xiahou Hui sighed and said nothing more.

Sun Li remained silent.

It's not uncommon for someone to be favored by a man of a certain age and then request to resign and return to court.

Xiahou Hui's current inquiry about his health and whether any messages had been relayed was actually a way of considering whether or not to grant Man Chong's request. After all, Xiahou Hui had received considerable care from Man Chong when he was in Huainan in his younger days.

In the silence, an attendant emerged from the Sima Gate, bowed to the two of them, and announced that the Emperor had granted them an audience.

"The Chief Secretary may leave now."

Xiahou Hui gave his instructions and then turned to leave.

They've all come to plead their case, and then they just leave like this? Is that really okay?

Sun Li was slightly taken aback again, and quickly followed up to ask, "Isn't the General going to see him?"

“I had an audience with His Majesty the day before yesterday, and nothing happened today. Moreover, if I were to have an audience with His Majesty too often, it might disturb His Majesty’s peace of mind, and others would also be uneasy.”

Xiahou Hui, who hadn't stopped walking, left after uttering those words.

As Sun Li followed the eunuch into the Sima Gate, he was once again struck by the changes in the capital and the unpredictable situation: even the Grand General, second only to the Emperor, was walking on thin ice and could not freely meet with the Emperor, lest some people become fearful.

Therefore, with these feelings in mind, after his audience with Emperor Cao Fang, he did not return directly to his residence as instructed, but instead went to the General's Office.

"I am not here to take up my post, but rather to get to know my colleagues."

This is how he explained it to Xiahou Hui, while bowing to Ding Mi beside him with a gentle smile, "Yanjing, it's been a long time. Now that I'm returning to the capital, I will be hosting a banquet to reminisce with relatives and friends. I would be honored if Yanjing would deign to attend."

Ding Mi was momentarily stunned.

He certainly knew Sun Li.

In his early years, when he served as the Director of the Ministry of Revenue, he had official dealings with Sun Li.

However, due to factors such as personality, their relationship remained at the level of acquaintance, and they even looked down on each other. Why is Sun Li suddenly so enthusiastic in inviting him to a banquet?

However, he quickly realized what was happening.

Knowing that Sun Li was not a sycophant, I assumed that this invitation stemmed from his close relationship with Xiahou Hui, and that I wanted to have a private talk with him so that we could work and get along better in the future.

"It's been a long time indeed."

Immediately, he clasped his hands in greeting, beaming, "Brother Deda's invitation is my great honor. How could I refuse?"

"Although I am not yet on duty, since the Chief Clerk is here, please take this opportunity to pass on a message to the Ministry of Personnel."

After they finished exchanging greetings, Xiahou Hui, who was in the main seat of the office, spoke up and beckoned to Sun Li, saying, "Chief Secretary, come closer. This is the list of candidates recommended by all of you for the position of Governor of Henan."

"only."

Sun Li responded and stepped forward to pick up the silk scroll from the table. It read: "Minister of Personnel Yu Biao, in accordance with the General's instructions and the Grand Commandant's suggestion, has recommended two individuals each to fill vacancies in the position of Governor of Henan. The list is as follows: Su, Chancellor of the Chongwen Temple; Heng, Imperial Secretary; Jing, Minister of the Imperial Household Department; Fan, former Governor of Yanzhou (who resigned due to illness); and Ji, former Prefect of Anping."

The rankings are determined by the number of times they are mentioned, hence Wang Su and Xiahou Heng's names are listed first.

Okay.

After reading it, Sun Li couldn't help but sigh.

Because when he reviewed it, Xiahou Hui also whispered about the matter of requesting official positions for the people the day before.

After putting down the silk, he thought for a moment before saying, "It is not uncommon for the Grand General to concurrently serve as the Governor of Henan. Now, in these extraordinary times, the Grand General bears the heavy responsibility of being entrusted with the care of the young emperor. What you gentlemen have said is not entirely out of sycophancy or flattery."

"Yes, I know, and I don't mean to criticize you gentlemen."

Nodding, Xiahou Hui said with a hint of melancholy, "The late emperor summoned me back to the capital to assist me because of my upright character. Now I am facing difficulties, and I am sure you are aware of this. I hope you will take good care of me in handling the many affairs of the court in the future."

"only!"

Sun Li immediately stood up and solemnly accepted the order, saying, "I will serve you wholeheartedly."

At this moment, Xiahou Hui had already picked up his pen and, without thinking, crossed out the names of Wang Su, Xiahou Heng, and Wang Ji from the list. After a slight hesitation, he crossed out Huan Fan's name as well.

"Please pass this on to Minister Lu, and also inform him on my behalf."

Xiahou Hui put down his pen and handed him a piece of silk. “Tell him that the position of Governor of Henan cannot be filled by a relative of mine. Let him select two or three people and present them to His Majesty for a decision. Hmm, the Grand Commandant and the Minister of Works both previously served as Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel. If they have difficulty choosing a candidate, they can inquire of them themselves and do not need to report to me again.”

"only."

Sun Li accepted the silk, but did not leave immediately. After a moment's hesitation, he made a suggestion: "The General is very busy and needs to recruit subordinates to share the burden as soon as possible. I have not seen any colleagues since I joined the office. It seems that they have not been recruited yet. If the General's subordinates have not been filled, I think it would be better to recruit some old people from Huainan to join the office."

Old friends from Huainan?

I don't have many old subordinates in Huainan, and Deng Ai and Gou Quan have long been transferred to Xuzhou.

Xiahou Hui thought to himself, about to speak but then swallowed his words, raising an eyebrow at Sun Li.

Sure enough, Sun Li then whispered, "General, you may not know, but since Chief Secretary Li passed away, the head of the Huainan Shi family's land reclamation has been replaced."

The Chief Clerk of the General Who Conquers the East, who had been very protective of Xiahou Hui in his early years, died of illness while campaigning against Gongsun of Liaodong in the imperial court.

Upon hearing the news, Xiahou Hui, who had returned victorious from his campaign, sent his nephew Xiahou Zhuang to visit his family and specifically asked him to go to Qiao County to offer condolences on their behalf. However, Xiahou Hui did not expect that Wu Gang and Jiao Yi, having lost the protection of Li Changshi, would face suppression from Wang Ling and even have their duties reassigned.

Wang Ling is not lacking in either literary or military talent, but he is too power-hungry and often uses his family background to bully others.

Since he was able to seize power from Wu Gang and Jiao Yi, who were not his direct subordinates, he will probably also oust Jiang Ban after succeeding Man Chong as the General Who Conquers the East.

This is why Sun Li suggested that he recruit former officials from Huainan.

"I understand what the Chief Secretary means."

"Yes, Your subordinate takes his leave."

As Sun Li bowed and turned to leave, Xiahou Hui couldn't help but close his eyes and gently rub the bridge of his nose.

He suddenly felt a little tired.

Or perhaps he suddenly understood why Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, had described the investigation of the corrupt practices of the scholar-official class as "governing a large country is like cooking a small fish"; and why, despite the promising results of the investigation at the Ministry of Agriculture in Luoyang, Emperor Ming had abandoned the effort and transferred the matter to Grand Commandant Sima Yi, disregarding his objections.

Humans are selfish, and many things in the world have both advantages and disadvantages.

When those in high positions make decisions, they must weigh the gains and losses and try to make the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

While Wang Ling was power-hungry, Xiahou Hui's merits can only be considered minor flaws.

"Yanjing, help me draft the decree."

After a moment, he regained his spirits and beckoned to Ding Mi, saying, "I hereby appoint Wang Ji as Attendant Gentleman, and Deng Ai, Jiang Ban, Jiao Yi, and Wu Gang as his subordinates."

"Deng Ai?"

Ding Mi made a sound of doubt as she picked up her pen.

Because Deng Ai was in Xuzhou and under the command of General Zhang Ying, he would not face Wang Ling's exclusion in the future.

"Hmm. Deng Ai's background is even lower than Jiang Ban's and others, so let him stay in the office for two or three years first, and then we can promote him when he is transferred to another post later."

“Zhi Quan’s considerations are far-reaching.”

Ding Mi praised the work and began to write in one go.

When the letter of appointment was brought to Xiahou Hui to be used as the seal of the Grand General, he asked again, "In the list of candidates for Governor of Henan just now, Zhi Quan crossed out Huan Fan's name. Did he realize that he was recommended by Cao Zhaobo?"

I suppose so.

Huan Fan was arrogant and domineering.

Apart from Cao Shuang, who wanted to win him over with their hometown ties, no official in the court would recommend him.

Xiahou Hui, who was using the seal, nodded and then asked, "That's not entirely the reason. Yanjing, in your opinion, if I were to dismiss him as a Sima, would he be willing to die for me?"

Given Huan Fan's character, it must be very difficult, right?
If you ask me if he would boss you around just because he's older and more experienced, I can say for sure.

Ding Mi stroked his beard, pondering the matter, but quickly sensed something amiss. "To appoint him as Sima? Isn't the position of Sima intended for Chen Xuanbo?" (End of Chapter)