Wei Ni

Chen Ben did not agree with Chen Qian's self-proclaimed sound strategy for building a strong household.

On the contrary, he felt that Chen Qian's move was short-sighted and would endanger the Chen family's reputation.

The reason is simple.

The Chen family was not originally from a prestigious family. It was only through the talent and integrity of his father, Chen Jiao, and the trust and favor of three generations of emperors of the Wei dynasty that they became a family of high-ranking officials.

In this time of uncertainty and uncertainty, how can the two brothers only care about their own interests and disregard their loyalty to the country?

If the family's reputation is ruined and loyalty is not upheld, how will our family stand in the world in the future?
Therefore, he was very firm in his stance and, as the eldest brother, forced Chen Qian to take the initiative to go to the General's Office to pay his respects to Xiahou Hui.

This is not out of a desire to curry favor with the powerful.

Instead, it was said that when Chen Qian first took office as the Commander of the Central Guard, it was a deliberate arrangement by the late Emperor Cao Rui, and that the reason had been privately informed to his deceased father, Chen Jiao.

Although the late Emperor Cao Rui has passed away, Xiahou Hui is still alive!
Regardless of whether Xiahou Hui will continue to uphold the spirit of eliminating the long-standing abuses of the court as the late Emperor Cao Rui had hoped, Chen Qian should not abandon his duties or disregard the late emperor's plans.

Furthermore, Xiahou Hui never mistreated Chen Qian.

Is the position of Grand General Sima still vacant, waiting for someone to fill it?

Could it be that Chen Qian, who had worked with Xiahou Hui for several years, would only be willing to serve after the General himself came to his residence to show respect and humbly serve him?
Faced with his elder brother's explanation, Chen Qian did not agree with everything, but he also had no way to refute it.

For example, the position of Grand General Sima was vacant, and he was certain that Xiahou Hui was not leaving it vacant for him; however, Xiahou Hui did indeed keep the position of Central Protector of the Army Sima open for him during his mourning period.

The saying goes, "That was then, this is now."

When Xiahou Hui was the Commander of the Central Army, his power base in the court was weak, so he was treated with great courtesy. But now he is the Grand General who holds the reins of Wei, and he can summon the talents of the world at will. How much expectation can one still have for him? Look at his relatives, like Huan Fan, who was idle at home for more than a year, and was finally appointed as the Minister of Agriculture by Cao Shuang.

Moreover, he knew in his heart that when he was Xiahou Hui's subordinate, he had never considered himself a trusted confidant or henchman.

Now that Xiahou Hui holds a high position and wields great power, it seems rather hypocritical for me to go and pay him a visit immediately after the mourning period ends.
Finally, there was another layer of consideration that he did not tell his elder brother.

That was because he didn't have high hopes for Xiahou Hui's future.

He knew Xiahou Hui's character all too well.

Given Xiahou Hui's personality, given his high position and absolute power, he would either end up like those generals of the previous dynasty who were wiped out, or be coerced by his subordinates into taking that step.

Even if he lived a life of honor and died a mournful death like Huo Guang of the Former Han Dynasty, it would not change the fact that he died and his clan was exterminated.
Regardless of the outcome, Chen Qian did not want to be involved.

Just as he said to his elder brother, their family is already of noble birth, so why should they take a gamble?
The benefits are minimal while the harms are immense; why bother?
With this in mind, no matter how much his elder brother Chen Ben urged him, he kept delaying and refused to give in.

They're siblings, after all; his own brother wouldn't do anything to him anyway.

If they could just delay for a while until the court granted the two brothers official positions, and the matter was already settled, the elder brother would no longer bring it up.

Unfortunately, that's a pity.

His plan fell apart just one day later.

He Zeng, who was merely a nodding acquaintance and still observing mourning for his parents, actually sent someone to deliver a letter to him.

The content is also quite outrageous.

He exchanged only a few simple pleasantries with him, and then recounted how Cao Zhao and Bi Gui came to see him together after returning to the capital Luoyang.

Chen Qian only saw the beginning before he understood what was going on.

To put it simply, this letter was written by He Zeng on behalf of Cao Zhao to Xiahou Hui, in order to explain why Cao Shuang recommended Bi Gui for the position of General of the Eastern Central Army.

Therefore, after reading it, Chen Qian couldn't help but feel depressed.

When he handed the letter to his elder brother Chen Ben, he shook his head and smiled bitterly at himself.

"Everyone says that my wisdom surpasses that of my elder brother; but today I realize that my elder brother's insight far surpasses that of my younger brother."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ben, looking surprised, took the letter and read it quickly. He then patted Chen Zhi on the shoulder with a smile to comfort him. Afterward, he didn't forget to tell his younger brother, Chen Zhi, that he no longer needed to be confined to the manor.

The next day.

Chen Qian, dressed as a scholar, came to the General's office to request an audience.

Because of the precedent of bestowing thirty officers and cavalrymen upon the Grand General, Xiahou Hui declined, arguing that elite troops should be used for military affairs rather than for escorts, and instead appointed Han Long and other subordinates to fill the positions. Therefore, these men all recognized Chen Qian and invited him in without prior notice.

Chen Qian had initially declined, citing the importance of propriety.

But these comrades made him refuse with just one sentence.

"Is Chen Sima an outsider?"

ok~
Xiahou Hui's mark was deeply etched on him.

Whether in the eyes of He Zeng and other court officials, or in the hearts of these retainers.

When Xiahou Hui saw Chen Qian take the initiative to come and pay his respects, he was quite pleased. Although he was not surprised, he also felt a sense of relief, as if he had finally waited for this moment.

Because in his heart, he could never categorize or define Chen Qian. Well, how should I put it?

Chen Qian was very talented and had exceptional strategic skills, but he was also a complex person.

For example, he would never become a loyal minister like his father, nor would he completely entrust his status and future to himself like Jia Chong. He had his own ideas, but no set principles, and always prioritized self-interest. Therefore, in the years they spent together, Xiahou Hui always felt a sense of ambivalence from him—a feeling of being neither too close nor too distant. Sometimes, he even maliciously suspected that Chen Qian might have been a student of Jia Xu.

Of course, these are not major issues.

Even things as valuable as gold and silver can be discarded by those who are content with poverty and find joy in simplicity!

Xiahou Hui was not so arrogant as to believe that he could be liked and fawned upon by everyone.

When employing people, one should use morality to motivate the loyal and employ their integrity, and use self-interest to make the treacherous and employ their cunning. Just make the most of their abilities.

Chen Qian's talent is certainly usable.

If he were to side with the Sima family or Cao Shuang, it would certainly cause Xiahou Hui a lot of trouble.

One was forced to come due to prejudice in people's hearts, while the other came with the thought that his talent should not be left to his own devices. Therefore, this long-awaited reunion was quite heartwarming.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Qian presented the letter.

He Zeng's letters are sparse in content.

He only mentioned that Cao Zhao and Bi Gui had recently visited him while he was observing mourning in a thatched hut. The three then discussed their future plans. Cao Zhao, who had already secured a post outside the capital through a secret letter to Emperor Cao Fang, asked Bi Gui if he was interested in continuing to accompany him on his post, promising to appoint him as his chief secretary. However, Bi Gui declined, explaining that he had been away from home for a long time while traveling to the eastern coast and now wanted to spend more time with his younger relatives upon his return.

The letter ends here.

It may seem like I'm just rambling about a trivial everyday matter, but I've actually said everything I wanted to say.

If we interpret this as Cao Zhao parting ways with Bi Gui, then Cao Zhao had no private dealings with Cao Shuang. Xiahou Hui, please do not misunderstand.

He could write on his own behalf to claim that he was still of one mind with Cao Zhao, and that even if he continued to serve in the capital after the mourning period, he would not side with Cao Shuang or any other party, so that Xiahou Hui would not "worry" about him.

"Mr. Chen has also read the letter."

After quickly reading the letter, Xiahou Hui casually placed it on the table and asked Chen Qian with a smile, "I wonder what you think I should do, Mr. Chen?"

"I humbly believe that since they have written to explain, General, you might as well listen to them for now."

Chen Qian, who had prepared his answer beforehand, replied without hesitation, "Cao Changsi's official position has already been decided in the imperial court, and he will take up his post in the spring. As far as the General is concerned, there is no need to worry about him for the next three or four years."

Let's just listen to it for now, no need to worry about it.
Xiahou Hui, stroking his beard with one hand, lowered his eyelids and pondered silently for a moment before revealing a hint of curiosity on his face. "I don't seem to have heard of the fact that Lord Chen and He Yingkao have a close friendship?"

"We're just nodding acquaintances."

Shaking his head slightly, Chen Qian smiled and said, "It's common for sons of officials in the capital to socialize and chat. Are there still people like the General who returned to their hometown in their early years to study in seclusion?"

How many people in the world truly click with someone they meet at first sight?
Most true friendships, even those that would die for each other, start as casual acquaintances and gradually develop into something more.
It seems you haven't changed at all.

I had barely foreseen a hint of this when they blocked my path that might have allowed you to win over Cao Zhao through He Zeng.

"Hmm, I see."

The familiar feeling returned, and Xiahou Hui didn't want to waste any more effort. After responding, he rummaged through the utensils beside the table and took out two rolled-up pieces of cloth. He said directly, "Since we are familiar with each other, I will speak frankly. After Chen Jun has finished his mourning period, according to the court's regulations, he should be reinstated and serve the country. These two documents were drafted by me. Chen Jun, please take a look and see if you are willing to accept them."

"Only General Lao is concerned."

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Qian stepped forward to take the book and sat down to read it.

One document was an imperial edict already bearing Xiahou Hui's name, appointing him as Grand General's Chief of Staff and (according to regulations) additional official rank as Attendant-in-Ordinary.

The other document is a private letter written by Xiahou Hui to Fu Gu.

The gist of the message was that Fu Gu should use his position to remind Lu Yu, the Minister of Personnel, that he should petition the court to grant Lu Yu an official position after the mourning period ended, and he also provided a suggested official title, which was the Chancellor of Yan.

To be honest, Chen Qian felt somewhat grateful.

It wasn't because Xiahou Hui valued and trusted him that he was given the position of Grand General Sima.

Instead, his position was respected, and he was given the right to choose, an opportunity to escape the vortex of power like Cao Zhao—if the Minister of Personnel, Lu Yu, petitioned the court to allow him to take up a post in Youzhou, he could gradually shed the mark of Xiahou Hui.

Therefore, the moment he finished looking at it, he felt an urge to express his choice of the latter.

That was the choice he most hoped for and the most ideal choice in his heart.

However, recalling his elder brother Chen Ben's words and the fact that He Zeng had written to him, he couldn't bring himself to speak. Even though he knew very well that, given Xiahou Hui's character, he would never hold a grudge or suppress him even if he chose the latter.

Oh well, never mind.

When one is in an official career, how can things be done as one pleases?

With a sigh inwardly, Chen Qian raised his head, cupped his hands, and replied with a smile, "Reporting to the General, my elder brother was the prefect before he resigned and entered mourning." (End of this chapter)