Wei Ni

With Xiahou Hui and Cao Shuang remaining silent, and with most of the senior officials in the court seconding the decision, Emperor Cao Fang still honored Grand Commandant Sima Yi as Grand Tutor.

Unlike the previous Grand Tutor Zhong Yao, Sima Yi, due to the late emperor's dying wish to assist in governing, was transferred to a prestigious position, but he was only relieved of his power as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. He still retained his duties as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the General of Military Affairs.

In other words, before Sima Yi died, whoever served as the Grand Commandant of Wei was a figurehead with no real power and had to helplessly accept the fact that the basic authority of "managing the military and political affairs of the world" was being delegated to the Grand Tutor.

Inevitably, this imperial edict also sparked much discussion among officials and common people alike.

After all, it was obvious to everyone that this was a promotion in name only, and Sima Yi was the minister entrusted with the care of two emperors by their dying wishes, while Emperor Ming had only been buried at Gaoping Mausoleum for a few days.
However, the courtiers who agreed with this proposal felt that the move was appropriate.

Everyone knows about the relationship between Sima Yi and Jiang Ji. Since this proposal was submitted by Jiang Ji, it means that it was Sima Yi's own wish, which is why they chose to second it.

And two monks can carry water to drink!
Xiahou Cao was a loyal minister of the Wei court. Although Sima Yi was highly respected and renowned throughout the court, being involved with him would inevitably be thankless and difficult, and he might even become a target for exclusion and power struggles, thus jeopardizing state affairs. For the sake of the country and to avoid a situation where too many cooks spoil the broth, they were naturally happy to see Sima Yi voluntarily relinquish his power.

Otherwise, why would they endorse Jiang Ji's memorial, which altered Emperor Ming's will?
Xiahou Hui, however, felt that experience truly matters.

He had just finished his plan, and before he could even reveal his true intentions, Sima Yi saw through it all and struck him with a casual move, leaving him helpless.

Yes, I don't know where to start.

He originally planned to use methods such as listing the official positions of the sons of various families to make the high-ranking officials and Sima Yi remain silent and consciously stand in the position of upholding the prohibitions during the reign of Emperor Ming, and then wait for Cao Shuang to make a fool of himself.

But Sima Yi was the first to escape!
He was originally the one entrusted with the care of the young emperor, but now that Sima Yi has directly retreated, how could Cao Shuang, who is in a weak position in both name and reality, not be greatly stimulated?
Indeed, he wanted to achieve his goal by provoking Cao Shuang.

But all of this must be done without disrupting the existing structure of the government.

This was not only because he was a general and held an absolute advantage, but also because he could reap the rewards and suffer the consequences of everything in the court. Therefore, whether from the perspective of the state or from his own personal point of view, he could not sit idly by or tolerate Cao Shuang's potentially excessive reaction, which led to a direct confrontation between the two.

Perhaps, Sima Yi's decision to retreat was due to his willingness to sit back and watch the tigers fight.

Moreover, Xiahou Hui also knew that although Sima Yi's official rank had been changed from Grand Commandant to Grand Tutor and he no longer had the responsibility of recording the affairs of the Secretariat, he had not actually suffered any loss.

On the contrary, by taking such a small step back, he has truly gained a wider perspective.

If you think about it in more detail, you'll understand.

Having the title of regent meant that Sima Yi was in an invincible position.

No matter when or what decisions are made by the government, he has the right and the qualification to comment.

This concession not only earned him a good reputation for enduring humiliation, but also created an opportunity—in the future, whether it was Xiahou Hui or Cao Shuang, as long as their policies or arrangements contradicted the measures taken during Emperor Ming's reign and clashed with the officials, the first thought in the minds of the court and the common people would be: if Sima Gong had taken charge, things would not have turned out this way.
Once this idea takes root, it will eventually grow into a towering tree over time.

Consequently, the officials who were dissatisfied with or felt that Xiahou Hui and Cao Shuang's policies were flawed naturally began to gravitate towards Sima Yi and would strive to bring him back into power.

It's all for the sake of the country, and the late emperor left a will.
The titles are all readily available.

Furthermore, Sima Yi was a figure of great renown in the court and among the people; did it really matter whether he held the title of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat?

If he just gave a hint, wouldn't he be able to influence the decisions of the heads of the various departments of the Ministry of Personnel?
In many matters, this method of manipulating from the sidelines not only allows for flexibility in both advancing and retreating but also provides numerous options, thus wielding greater influence than direct involvement.

Sure enough~
Older people have experienced many things and have gone through many ups and downs, so they can look at things with a calm mind and see the essence of things. Therefore, their vision and methods are also the most ruthless.

Both Cao Shuang and I are still young.

Their vision was not far-sighted enough, and their methods were clumsy.

Compared to Sima Yi's effortless creation of his own territory, this approach pales in comparison.

Of course, Xiahou Hui was not one to give up easily.

If someone is more skilled, then sincerely acknowledge it, humbly learn from their mistakes, find your own shortcomings and make amends, so that you can surpass them in the future.

In any case, Sima Yi is still a loyal and capable minister of the Wei dynasty.

He still has plenty of time and opportunity to ensure that the Sima clan of Hanoi remains a model of loyalty to the Wei state.

The advantage is in my hands~
Let's play it safe and not give Sima Yi a chance to make a move.

With this in mind, a few days after the emperor's edict was issued, he sent people to place a large bronze pot in front of the General's Office at the South Gate and in front of the Governor's Office outside the palace, named "Throwing Book Pot".

As the name suggests, it allows officials and commoners to submit their opinions freely, discussing the merits and demerits of the government's governance and strategies for major military and national affairs.

It was not an imitation of King Qi Wei's "joy upon hearing criticism." Rather, he claimed that he had only reached a high position at the age of thirty and felt that he lacked experience and talent. He was always afraid that he would make mistakes in governing and fail the country. Therefore, he followed the example of Emperor Ming's policy of opening up channels for public opinion and accepting criticism from officials and common people.

Emperor Cao Rui of the Ming Dynasty had this benevolent rule.

During his reign, he issued a decree to the officials, giving them the opportunity to submit petitions directly to the emperor.

Every month, he would receive dozens or even hundreds of letters from the common people. Although many of the letters were poorly written, Emperor Cao Rui of the Ming Dynasty would still read them carefully and ask his attendants to investigate the matter. He never grew tired or became negligent over the course of more than ten years.

He deserves the posthumous title "Ming".

Now, Xiahou Hui followed suit and added many conveniences.

Letters could be submitted anonymously, could expose illegal activities, and could freely express opinions on the merits and demerits of all personnel appointments; most importantly, if the content of a letter was beneficial to the country, he would forward it to Emperor Cao Fang for review and convene important officials of the court for discussion.

This means that he was indirectly giving officials and commoners a chance for promotion.

Whether one is a lowly official in a humble position who is frustrated with his career, a talented but unappreciated scholar from a poor family, or a humble laborer or peddler with talent and ambition, everyone has a chance to rise above others—as long as the policy proposals submitted are well-written, they can become famous to the emperor and high officials. Regardless of whether the policies are implemented, one can gain widespread fame and wait for the government or local government to recruit one.

As soon as this measure was implemented, discussions about Xiahou Hui among the officials and common people in Luoyang erupted once again.

The common people praised his humility, and some officials felt that he was modest and open-minded, but most nobles felt that his actions would disturb the country and make the government more complicated.

After all, anonymous submissions are allowed, and the language can be used without restraint.
Doesn't this give some treacherous and wicked people the opportunity to frame and slander others?
Even his advisor Ding Mi privately expressed his concern before the move was implemented, saying, "While Zhiquan's move may bring talented individuals under his wing, it may also arouse the suspicion of some people who may think that Zhiquan intends to monopolize the government."

This concern is not unfounded.

Because if Xiahou Hui wanted to implement any measures in the future, he could have someone write a letter and then take it to the officials and nobles for discussion, and then ask Emperor Cao Fang to issue a decree in the name of the court and the common people to implement it.

But Xiahou Hui thought about it and did it anyway.

Since Sima Yi has taken a step back and divided up his own territory, he can also gain access to a wider area.
In particular, he knew very clearly that he could never win the support of the court officials and ministers, no matter what, against Sima Yi, a veteran minister who had served three dynasties.

This move will likely further provoke "a few individuals".
The fact that the Grand Commandant has been promoted to Grand Tutor means that his conflict with Cao Shuang is on the agenda, so why should he still care!
As Ding Mi had predicted, things unfolded as they had.

When Emperor Cao Fang approved Jiang Ji's memorial, Cao Shuang felt an overwhelming sense of crisis.

After returning home, he once again sought out He Yan and Xiahou Xuan to discuss recommending Sima Shi for a career in government. However, he eventually abandoned the idea after being strongly persuaded by Xiahou Xuan.

However, he still made some moves.

For example, it was decided that Zheng Bilu Zhi would be appointed as Sima, and Zheng Mao and Wang Guang would be appointed as Attendants Gentlemen.

Among them, Lu Zhi was not only a former subordinate of the late Grand Marshal Cao Zhen, but also served under Sima Yi and later became the Prefect of Tianshui on the recommendation of Guo Huai, the Governor of Yongzhou; while Wang Guang was the eldest son of Wang Ling.

From these two choices, it can be seen that Cao Shuang has begun to win over the generals of Yongliang and Huainan war zones—the governor of Jingxiang is Xiahou Ru, who has always criticized his nephew Xiahou Xuan for not being on good terms with Xiahou Hui, so he neither needs to win him over nor can he.

Zheng Mao, the Prefect of Jiyin, came from a prominent family in Henan. He was the great-grandson of Zheng Zhong, the former Grand Minister of Agriculture, and the nephew of Zheng Hun, the Grand Master of Works. He had long served in various government offices, both in the central and local governments, and was a highly praised official.

His appointment as Attendant Gentleman of the Palace revealed Cao Shuang's desire to be on friendly terms with the officials.

Another measure he took was to arrange marriages between his relatives and high-ranking officials in order to increase the influence of the court.

The candidates chosen were Situ Weizhen and Shangshu Ling Pei Qian.

Unfortunately, he could not have his wish fulfilled.

The straightforward Wei Zhen knew his thoughts and directly refused, without even bothering to give a reason. Pei Qian, on the other hand, was more tactful, saying that his son Pei Xiu was too young and it was too early to discuss marriage at this time.

Cao Shuang was somewhat frustrated by their rejections.

He even considered whether to try recommending Jiang Ji as Grand Commandant and appointing Sima Fu, the Minister of Revenue, as Grand Master of Ceremonies, in order to win the support of the court officials who followed Sima Yi's lead.

But the idea was nipped in the bud.

He doesn't yet have the power to decide on the selection of high-ranking officials.

And who knows, he might have used his connections to recommend someone, only to have Xiahou Hui reap the benefits.

Therefore, when the "throwing books into the pot" initiative was about to be implemented, he, who was already anxious, immediately felt that Xiahou Xuan's advice was unacceptable. (End of this chapter)