Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Cao Rui nodded with a hint of approval: "Wang Qing has a good way of studying. As a great scholar, it is not enough to just delve into the classics, but also to benefit the government and the country."

"Zi Qi." Cao Rui looked at He Chu.

"I'm here." He Chuan replied with a bow.

Cao Rui said: "The reason why I told you that it would be difficult to achieve this within a thousand years is because this world is ultimately governed by people."

"Wang Ziyong just mentioned two points. One is that the position of court inspectors has been transformed into real power, and the other is the rotation of court officials and local officials. In fact, not only in the court and the local areas, but even in this capital, there is a process of continuous iteration of power and responsibility. For example, in the Han Dynasty, the prime minister led the officials and presided over the government affairs, and then the court gradually dismissed the prime minister and let the Shangshu, who managed documents, take charge of administration. In short, it is often the emperor's close ministers who replace the ruling office."

As Cao Rui was speaking, Wang Su lowered his head thoughtfully, and the imperial attendants were also listening attentively.

Not everyone had the opportunity to listen to the emperor expound on matters of power. They were unwilling to miss this opportunity to listen to the emperor's thoughts.

However, Wang Yuanji secretly glanced at the emperor's expression. He was calm but confident, and his voice was not loud but calm and majestic. They were completely different from the state of his own father when he was lecturing.

Cao Rui continued, "I will add a third point for you now, which is the struggle for power between the imperial court and the localities. Isn't this the reason for the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty? As long as we continue to govern the country with the path of combining Confucianism and Legalism, we will definitely not deviate from these three points. If I were to say something bigger, isn't this the cycle of peace and chaos that is going on in the world?"

"Just as Emperor Wu established his hegemony and pacified the north, and Emperor Wen inherited Emperor Wu's power and virtue to build a foundation, I am also following the legacy of my father and grandfather and am determined to unify the world. If I unify the world, and there are no hidden worries at home and no strong enemies outside, I or any future emperor will probably also be lazy and idle, so that the court will gradually become dull and greedy, bully the people and cause wars to break out everywhere. There is no escape."

Before Cao Rui finished speaking, Wang Su stood up from his chair and said to Cao Rui in a serious tone:

"Your Majesty is serious!"

"The Great Wei was established only ten years ago. During the Jian'an, Huangchu and even the Taihe years, the court has done nothing more than two things: eliminate the accumulated evils of the Han Dynasty and strengthen the army and enrich the country. Since the first year of Taihe, Your Majesty has led the world with the utmost sageliness and wisdom. The atmosphere of the Great Wei is completely different from the previous four hundred years. How can we say that we can't escape?"

Cao Rui smiled slightly, but sighed at the same time: "To temporarily solve this problem, we really have to rely on the four words 'the holy monarch is in power' and rely on the emperor's wisdom to control the world. I only hope that the emperors of the Great Wei after me will be more talented and virtuous than the average people, then I will be satisfied enough."

This was a conversation in Wang Su's study. If ordinary officials heard the emperor talking with Wang Su, Xiahou Xuan, He Chu and others, they would only think that these people were too idle to do and were just talking about state affairs, just like the "Tan Xuan" that the scholars in Luozhong had refuted before.

As a young academic master, Wang Su's sensitivity to such political and institutional topics is extraordinary.

Wang Su bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I just heard what you said, and I also remembered what Mr. He Shao said."

"What?" Cao Rui asked after thinking for a few moments.

"It is He Xiu." Wang Su said, "He Xiu is an expert in modern text classics and wrote the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals. Luozhong once called He Xiu the 'sea of ​​learning', on the same level as Zheng Xuan's 'god of classics'."

Cao Rui: "I only know that this man's doctrine has always been in direct opposition to Zheng Xuan, and Wang Qing does not support Zheng Xuan, but because of this he praises He Xiu."

Wang Su explained: "I am not admiring He Xiu because of Zheng Xuan, but his theory is indeed reasonable. He Shaogong divided the world's order, chaos, rise and fall into three periods: the period of decline and chaos, the period of prosperity and peace, and the period of great peace. The Zhou, Qin, Han, and Wei dynasties were all like this, so it is called the Three Periods Theory."

"According to Mr. He Shao's theory, the end of the Han Dynasty was a time of decline and chaos since the time of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling. It was a time of prosperity and peace after Emperor Wu established his foundation. It is still a time of prosperity and peace now. The time of peace and prosperity can only be counted after the country is unified."

"The three generations theory?" Cao Rui was obviously surprised by Wang Su's words: "There is such a theory? This is the first time I have heard of it."

Cao Rui had many more examples of this cycle of order and chaos in his mind, but he just didn't know where to start. As for the solution to the "historical cycle law", it was an unsolvable problem at the moment, and Cao Rui was not even interested in mentioning it to Wang Su and others.

Wang Su said: "If Your Majesty is interested, I would like to introduce it to Your Majesty slowly."

"Okay." Cao Rui just smiled, stood up and said, "I'm going to Wang Qing's house for a chat today, and it's time to return to the North Palace."

After saying that, Cao Rui did not stop and walked out on his own.

Wang Su bowed and said: "I am the Shizhong. I ask Your Majesty to allow me to accompany you and return to the North Palace together." "That's right." Cao Rui said calmly.

When he reached the door, Cao Rui seemed to have thought of something and turned to look at Wang Su:

"I have heard of something before. The Minister of Works wants to marry his second son Sima Zhao to Wang Qing's family?"

Wang Su was slightly moved, and frankly agreed to the matter: "Your Majesty, it is true. When Sima Shi, the eldest son of Sikong, married Xiahou Hui, the sister of Taichu, my father and I went to Sikong's mansion to watch the ceremony, and we had a long banquet in Sikong's mansion."

"When the banquet was over and the guests were leaving, the Minister of Works told me about this at the gate of the mansion. I went home and talked to my father, who was about to agree. However, a few days later, my father invited the Minister of Works to the mansion to discuss it in detail, but he refused. It was obvious that he regretted it. After that, my father and I never talked to the Minister of Works again."

Cao Rui certainly understood this. After all, it was he who had warned Sima Yi several times that led to this result.

Cao Rui looked Wang Yuanji up and down again and asked, "Does Yuanji have any engagement?"

Wang Su hesitated for a few moments, and Xiahou Xuan looked at He Chuan again, and felt that His Majesty was acting strangely today.

Although Wang Su had a lot of thoughts in mind, he did not dare to pause for long and immediately replied: "Your Majesty, I have no marriage contract yet. I wonder if Your Majesty is...?"

As the top aristocratic family in Wei, the marriages of the children of the Wang family of Donghai are not just marriages themselves, but also represent the alliances between families.

In the Han Dynasty and the Wei Dynasty, it was common for daughters of noble families to marry each other. The relationship between Dong Zhao and Sima Zhi is an example.

Take Wang Su’s own family for example. Wang Su’s mother was from the Hongnong Yang family, and Wang Su’s wife was from the Taishan Yang family.

I wonder if Your Majesty is interested in my Princess Yuan?

Wang Su was secretly struggling in his heart, but unexpectedly the emperor opposite him started laughing.

Cao Rui laughed loudly and said, "In that case, I will be a matchmaker today."

"Xiahou Xuan!" Cao Rui suddenly turned around and looked at the Palace Attendant who was standing with his head lowered.

"I'm here." Xiahou Xuan responded quickly.

"come over."

Xiahou Xuan did not dare to be negligent. He walked up to Cao Rui and bowed.

"Wang Qing," Cao Rui patted Xiahou Xuan on the shoulder, looked at Wang Su, and said with a smile, "He is the son of the former General of the Southern Expedition, Xiahou Boren, the nephew of the general, my Imperial Guardsman, and the Marquis of Changling Township."

"How about such a young man be paired with your Princess Yuan? This is the first time I am acting as a matchmaker for someone!"

Even with Wang Su's wisdom and knowledge, he still felt a little confused when it came to the marriage of his own daughter.

Wang Su stood there in silence, Cao Rui also smiled and said nothing, and Xiahou Xuan, who was encountering such a thing for the first time, also stood aside in a daze.

After a moment, Wang Su took a long breath, as if he had made up his mind, and turned to look at his daughter behind him. But Wang Yuanji was too shy to speak, and lowered her head to cover her face.

With just a quick glance, Wang Su understood his daughter's intentions. His daughter was not like ordinary girls, she was extremely intelligent. If she was dissatisfied with Xiahou Xuan, she would definitely hint to him, or even express it explicitly, and she would never hide her face in her sleeves like this, shy and silent! (End of this chapter)