Wei Ni

Before we knew it, it was already late spring, March.

At dawn, at the gate of the Marquis of Wuping's residence, the still sleepy-eyed Xiao Quji raised his head, tugging at Xiahou Hui's sleeve, his face full of pleading, "Father, please take me with you?"

Xiahou Hui didn't say anything, but bent down and rubbed his little head.

Xiao Quji wasn't this clingy before.

It's just that since the end of last year, he has only returned home three times, and each time he left early and returned late, staying overnight before leaving again.

The only thing I did was name my two children.

They are 聿 and 肜 respectively.

Originally, Xiahou Hui wanted to name his second son, the third son, Yao, but Wang Yuanji rejected the idea.

The reason was not only that he felt the name was too perfunctory, but also that such a name would make the sons feel the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children when they grew up, thus estrangement from their brotherly affection. Therefore, the third son, who was thin and small, was named Yu, in the hope that he would achieve something in literature in the future; the second son, who was born out of wedlock, was named Rong (meaning harmony).

hum~
With a snort, Xiao Quji pouted.

Although he was still young, he knew that whenever his father patted his head like that, it meant he was refusing and telling him not to force himself on the matter.

"Father won't be gone from the government office for long this time; he'll be back in a few days at most."

With a sigh of helplessness, Xiahou Hui gently comforted her, "How about your father takes you on a spring outing then?"

"Father isn't lying to me?"

"Did your father ever lie to you?"

"No. Hehe, should I take Mother with me too?"

"You should ask your mother about that yourself."

"And what about the younger sister? Hmm, the two younger brothers are still just crying."

"Alright, alright. Father has to go to the office now, or it will be too late. You can ask Mother who to take with you, or I can tell you when Father returns."

"Okay. Remember to come back soon, Father!"

"Ah."

He gestured to his steward, Sun Lou, to come and take Xiao Quji back to the mansion. Xiahou Hui then boarded the carriage and, surrounded by his attendants, headed towards the General's Office.

He did not give Xiao Quji a perfunctory answer.

After handling official business in Nanque, I should be able to return in four or five days at most, and then I can relax a little.

Firstly, some of the recruited officials had already arrived in Beijing and taken up their posts.

It was Wang Ji, Deng Ai, and Yu Jun.

Wang Ji's talent goes without saying. Back in Qingzhou, he was recruited by both Sima Yi and Wang Lang because of his outstanding abilities. However, Wang Ling was reluctant to let him go and chased him back until he was finally recruited by the emperor.

Moreover, he was also an old friend of Xiahou Hui, and entrusting him with many miscellaneous tasks and personnel scheduling responsibilities within the department, allowing him to cooperate with Sun Li both internally and externally, was enough to give Xiahou Hui peace of mind and allow him to steal a half-day of leisure.

Deng Ai, who was recruited to enhance his resume, was both a scholar and a warrior. In addition to commanding a thousand soldiers, he could also share some of Huan Yu's affairs.

Yu Jun, recommended by Xun Yi, mainly served as a bridge between Xiahou Hui and the scholars of Yingchuan.

Xiahou Hui then instructed him to serve as Sun Li's subordinate, to navigate among the high officials and nobles, and to strive for early recognition and experience before being sent to a post outside the capital, so as to establish a foundation of trust and common ground with the scholars of Yingchuan through practical benefits.

Another reason is that Cao Shuang finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Just a few days earlier, Xiahou Hui, without regard to kinship, recommended his fourth elder brother, Xiahou Wei, the Prefect of Taishan, for the position of Central Protector of the Army. Emperor Cao Fang approved the recommendation without consulting anyone else. The next day, Zheng Mao, the Attendant Gentleman of the Chariots and Cavalry, submitted a memorial, first listing in detail the achievements of Grand Tutor Sima Gong, and then recommending Sima Shi as the Attendant Gentleman of the Secretariat, arguing that the court should bestow favors upon the descendants of meritorious officials.

In response, Emperor Cao Fang asked his ministers to discuss the matter.

But before the officials could even begin to discuss the matter, Grand Tutor Sima Yi went directly to the Northern Palace to meet with the Emperor and earnestly requested that the Emperor reject the memorial.

This led to several days of continuous arguments within the East Hall.

The main reason is that there aren't many people who disagree.

For example, both Jiang Ji, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, and Sima Fu, the Minister of Revenue, remained silent, failing to align their statements with Sima Yi's. This aroused suspicion among the high-ranking officials—was Sima Yi's refusal merely a display of humility, or did he genuinely not want his eldest son to serve in the government?
Only Situ Weizhen strongly objected, arguing that the prohibition imposed by Emperor Ming Cao Rui should not be abolished.

However, his reasoning is somewhat untenable.

After all, when Emperor Ming was still alive, after the initial results of the war in Haidong were reported back to Luoyang, Cao Rui did not hesitate to praise those who had been imprisoned for their extravagance and implied that he might be able to lift their imprisonment.

Therefore, given Xiahou Hui's lack of a stance, the Sima family's ambiguous attitude, and Cao Shuang's forceful recommendation, it was inevitable that the officials would disagree.

Of course, after several days of intense discussion, the situation has taken a turn for the worse.

That means Wei Zhen couldn't hold up the boat alone.

There's nothing I can do about it~
Removing these people's career restrictions would enhance Emperor Cao Fang's reputation and promote internal cohesion. Many veteran officials would not side with Wei Zhen for this reason alone.

The reason why there has been no conclusion for so long is that the second memorial submitted by Sun Zi, the Grand Secretary, requesting to abdicate, has not yet been resolved.

The day after Liu Fang, the Director of the Imperial Secretariat, died, Sun Zi submitted a memorial requesting to retire.

This memorial did not need to wait for Emperor Cao Fang to discuss it with the officials; Xiahou Hui directly rejected it using his power as regent. However, Sun Zi's attitude was very firm, and he submitted another memorial the day after it was rejected.

Everyone knows that Sun Zi is far from being old enough to abdicate.

He also understood that Liu Fang's resolute desire to return to his hometown was simply a way to put an end to the previous incident of Emperor Ming entrusting his son to him in Jiafu Hall, now that Liu Fang was dead.

This matter was unrelated to the Fu Hua case.

However, Zheng Mao's recommendation of Sima Shi to serve as the Palace Attendant was related to Cao Shuang's instruction.

After all, the position of Director of the Secretariat is already vacant, and if the Grand Secretary were to resign, the Vice Grand Secretary would be the one with the highest authority. The Secretariat is in charge of confidential matters and issues government decrees. Even if Grand Tutor Sima Gong has great achievements, he cannot directly bestow favors upon his eldest son, Sima Shi, to become the actual controller, can he?

Therefore, before Sun Zi's fate is decided, the discussion among the officials will not reach a final conclusion.

Perhaps this was the timing Cao Shuang deliberately chose.

Xiahou Hui, who had previously concurrently served as the Palace Attendant, would not allow Sun Zi to retire—how could someone who had just become a Grand General send his former superior home? And if Sun Zi could not get his wish, given the fear of the ministers regarding the power of "exclusive appointment," how could they not do their utmost to help him succeed in recommending Sima Shi?
In fact it is.

Today, after Xiahou Hui entered the Southern Palace, he went directly to the Secretariat.

Sun Zi was not surprised at all by his arrival.

After seating people according to their rank and dismissing irrelevant people, Sun Zi got straight to the point: "I know the purpose of your visit, General, and I also know that my request to return to my hometown may be a disturbance to you. However, I really cannot continue to serve in the Secretariat. I beg you to consider our past relationship and pity my predicament, and reject my memorial again so that I can be transferred to a sinecure."

His second memorial to the throne was kept in the palace by Emperor Cao Fang and never released.

Needless to say, this was prompted by Xiahou Hui to prevent him from submitting a third memorial.

The Book of Rites, "Ritual Implements," states, "He arrived after three refusals and three concessions."

Even when the emperor received the abdication and the feudal lords were granted fiefs, they only had to decline three times before accepting the mandate. If Sun Zi were given a third opportunity to submit a memorial, the court would inevitably have to give a reply.

Even if he is not allowed to abdicate and return to his hometown, he should be transferred to another position as a compromise.

A wise and benevolent ruler cannot ignore the earnest request of an old minister.
Since Master Sun is so frank, I will not speak falsely.

Xiahou Hui remained silent for a moment, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but instead asked, "I do not consider myself a cold-hearted person, so why is Lord Sun so eager to leave? If it is because he is worried about the court officials, Lord Liu has already passed away."

"Haha~"

Upon hearing this, Sun Zi smiled sadly, "How could I not know that the General would surely protect me? However, if I do not retreat now, I fear I will never have another chance."

Indeed, Liu Fang can only die once.

Moreover, with the power structure in the court currently undergoing adjustment, voluntarily abdicating is a sign of pragmatism, and whoever comes to power in the future will likely be lenient and forgive past transgressions. However, if one clings to the position and allows the officials to continue to harbor their resentment, one will likely face impeachment and public condemnation in the future.

Xiahou Hui suddenly realized.

However, understanding is one thing, and whether or not he gets his wish is another.

Besides, everyone has to be responsible for their past.

He has his difficulties, and so does Xiahou Hui. The stability of the Wei dynasty is of utmost importance!
The new emperor had only been on the throne for a few months when Sun Zi, a veteran minister of three reigns and a mouthpiece of Emperor Ming, requested to abdicate. How should the people of the land view Emperor Cao Fang? And how should they view Xiahou Hui, the regent general?

"Ugh!"

With a sigh, Xiahou Hui shook his head helplessly. "I understand and agree with Lord Sun's concerns. But Lord Sun, have you forgotten that it is still the third year of the Jingchu era of the late Emperor?"

Sun Zi remained silent.

Having spent decades navigating the power center, he certainly understood: there was no chance of him abdicating; Xiahou Hui could not possibly place his personal friendship with him above the emperor's reputation.

Even if I wanted to resign due to illness, I couldn't!

And since Xiahou Hui had spoken frankly and openly, how could he possibly refute her?

Does this mean that the regent, a member of the Qiao and Pei clan, should not prioritize the emperor and the state?
"Alright then, Master Sun."

After a moment of silence, Xiahou Hui spoke first, revealing the plan he had come up with earlier: "Your eldest son is currently a minor official, and there are still quite a few vacancies in my department. If you, Lord Sun, don't mind, how about we transfer him to be an assistant to the Grand General?"

Ok? !

Sun Zi was taken aback.

By appointing his eldest son, Sun Hong, to the General's Office, Xiahou Hui was essentially declaring to the court and the public that he would protect him.

Immediately, he straightened his body, bowed deeply with gratitude, and said, "General, I am deeply grateful for your kindness."

"Please don't be so harsh, Mr. Sun."

But before he could finish bowing, Xiahou Hui quickly helped him up, saying, "When I was in a lowly position, I received a lot of care from Lord Sun. This is just a small token of my gratitude."

Sun Zi, who was helped up, was filled with mixed emotions.

In the path to power, those who offer help in times of need are ultimately few, especially for someone like him.

Call ~
He exhaled a deep breath, calming himself slightly, then shook his head and said, "I will forever remember the General's kindness, and I have no intention of petitioning to return to my hometown. Now is the time for the General to recruit talented individuals to support the nation, and my son is incompetent and has no good reputation, so I will not interfere. The General has spoken thus; I am not made of stone, what more could I possibly worry about!" (End of Chapter)