Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

"It doesn't matter. Huan Fan has already told me what you did. There is no need for you to be humble, Mr. Hu." Cao Rui said lightly.

Hu Zun's already nervous heart began to hang in the air again. The emperor said to his face that he knew everything he had done. Even if Hu Zun did a good job, how could he not be nervous?

Cao Rui noticed Hu Zun's reservedness and said, "Mr. Hu, you don't have to be so reserved in front of me. There are not many generals in the court who are from Yongliang. You are one of them, and Zhou Duo is another one. You know Zhou Duo, right?"

"I know." Hu Zun said, "This man is the chief officer of Lu Huqiang. He was quite effective in the war against Shu in the fourth year of Taihe. I have known this for a long time."

Cao Rui said, "There are some things you don't know. There have been changes in Guanxi. Zhang Junyi passed away. Lu Boyan was transferred to General Zhenxi and moved to Qishan. Zhou Duo was appointed as the new Protector of Qiang and is still in Dazhong. The headquarters of the Wei Cheqi and Fei Yaozhi's army were also moved from Chencang to Xiabian. In short, except for Guo Huai, everyone's position has moved to some extent."

"Yongliang has been exhausted for decades. It is time for some high-ranking officials and generals to come to the fore. Hu Qing, please encourage them. I still have high hopes for you."

Hu Zun had been in the officialdom for many years and had seen this kind of thing countless times. But when an emperor came to you and made such a promise, who would suspect that it was false or that the emperor was not sincere?
It’s extremely useful.

Hu Zun immediately knelt down and said: "I will not let your majesty down, and I will serve you with my death!"

"Well, you don't need to tell me these things. I will just observe your actions." Cao Rui laughed and said, "I want to ask you one thing. How is the shipbuilding in Wancheng going?"

Before Hu Zun came to Jiashi, he had already made some estimates of the questions the emperor might ask, and answered without hesitation:
"Your Majesty, the Privy Council issued an order to Huan Zhenbei at the beginning of last year, ordering Wancheng to build ships in case of emergency. The military order at that time did not specify a deadline, so we were not too anxious in Wancheng. We continued to conduct drills, guard duty, and farming as usual. We just took out some time to do some things."

"Yeah." Cao Rui remained calm.

Hu Zun continued, "Within a year, we have built 100 ships that can carry 20 people in Wancheng, and 5 Type C warships, which can accommodate about 2,500 people."

"Which one is more difficult?" Cao Rui asked.

Hu Zun bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it is naturally more difficult to make warships. Even with the guidance of the craftsmen sent by General Ma, it still took several months to make warships. The main reason was that the soldiers were not familiar with shipbuilding, which took a little longer, and there were some difficulties in cutting wood near Wancheng."

Cao Rui said: "It's no wonder. After all, the wood used in Chaohu Works had to be collected from Yuzhou and Yangzhou through corvée labor, but you have to do everything by yourselves. It's not your fault."

While Cao Rui was talking to Hu Zun and others, the Imperial Guardsman Zhong Yu came in cautiously from outside the tent and said, "Your Majesty, the Shouchun Cabinet's report on April 1 has been delivered."

Cao Rui nodded: "You come and read it."

"According to the order."

Just as Zhong Yu was about to open the document to read it, Hu Zun bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am a humble official, so I will step aside for a moment."

Cao Rui glanced at Hu Zun and said, "You don't have to be so cautious all the time. You are a general. If you always act like this, I will think you have lost your courage. You are also an official of the court. There is nothing to avoid. Since we are here, just sit here and listen."

"Yes, I understand." Hu Zun nodded.

As Zhong Yu slowly finished reading the minutes, Cao Rui's face turned cold.

"Pei Qing!"

"I'm here." Pei Qian bowed.

"When I was not in Shouchun, the ministers did a really good job. They are really old and prudent ministers." Cao Rui snorted coldly: "Except for those ordinary things, I will discuss them one by one from the end to the beginning!"

Pei Qian responded, "As ordered. Now let's discuss the matter of the copper official in Pengcheng knowing about the incident but not reporting it, which led to the chaos at the Xianbei mine."

Cao Rui said, "The Ministry of Works has been returned to the Privy Council. General Dong and the general are protecting their own shortcomings. They know the truth but don't report it. They can let it go so easily. We need to make it more serious. Pei Qing, tell me what you think."

Pei Qian understood that His Majesty was angry after hearing today's briefing and asked him, a minister, to refute the actions of the cabinet ministers. However, Pei Qian understood that at such times, he had to state his position directly and carry out His Majesty's wishes. This was the basis for his standing in front of His Majesty and in the court.

Pei Qian bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the chief architect Sun Yong knew about the crime but kept it a secret for two months, which led to the Xianbei miners rioting. I think he should be dismissed. Pengcheng Copper Official Sima He Shen should be beheaded. The Western Council has been a bit protective."

"Do you have any objections?" Cao Rui asked.

"I agree with what Minister Pei said." Xu Shu bowed.

"I agree that those who deceive their superiors and subordinates must be severely punished. This trend must not be allowed to continue." Wang Su said.

"I second the proposal." Lu Yu responded.

Cao Rui glanced at Hu Zun again and said, "Mr. Hu, you are here before me today. What do you think of this matter?"

Hu Zun was troubled for a long time, but finally bowed and replied: "Minister Pei is right. It is a serious crime to know the truth and not report it."

Cao Rui nodded slightly: "Mine accidents are common. Mining is full of risks. There is always a chance of accidents. I will not blame you. It is possible that nothing can be rescued after two months of digging. But knowing about it and not reporting it is a serious crime. Just do as Pei Qing said!"

"Yes." Pei Qian said, "The second thing is the cabinet's discussion on whether to establish a crown prince."

"I understand that every dynasty has faced this kind of troublesome issue of choosing a crown prince, but I didn't expect that I would have to experience it so soon." Cao Rui shook his head gently. "The cabinet is unsure about this matter, and I can't make a decision on my own. I need to think about the issue of choosing a crown prince. Tell the cabinet that I won't make a decision for now. After I return to Shouchun, I will let the officials in Shouchun and Luoyang discuss it together."

"Wei Dan went too far. There is no need to report this to the Secretariat." Cao Rui said to Pei Qian, "Pei Qing, send a letter to Wei Dan in Luoyang for me. From now on, you must not report matters concerning Beigong and the prince to anyone except me."

"Yes." Pei Qian responded.

For Pei Qian, he noticed His Majesty's strange attitude at this time.

Just now, the matter of the copper official in Pengcheng concealing the truth was mentioned. Your Majesty was angry at the cabinet for letting him off lightly, and forced himself to make a suggestion for severe punishment. But when it came to the matter of appointing a crown prince, it was temporarily shelved in the name of the cabinet's discussion? And the court officials were asked to discuss it together?

Based on Pei Qian's understanding of the emperor's thoughts, this matter is probably not as simple as it seems.

The crown prince is the heir apparent to the throne.

Choosing a crown prince means that the ministers are choosing their future king.

And establishing a crown prince is equivalent to having an additional backup for the emperor in the Wei Dynasty.

Since ancient times, the matter of appointing a successor has always been dangerous. The example of the late emperor and Prince Yongqiu fighting for the succession is right in front of us. The current Majesty also suffered a lot before he ascended the throne. Now, appointing a successor has become a matter that can be discussed and studied by ministers?
This is more like indulgence.

Pei Qian collected his thoughts and continued, "Your Majesty, the third matter is about Zhang Junyi's posthumous title."

Cao Rui said calmly: "Mr. Dong's ideas are always different from those of ordinary people. He suggested tightening the positions of the generals. I understand his good intentions, but I do not agree with him."

"Are there too many general titles? Of course there are. I also think there are too many generals with the title. But this kind of thing should be done, which does not mean it should be done now. It should be done in twenty or thirty years, after the Great Wei has unified the world and is more stable. Now that the world is not settled, I will reject this matter."

"Pass the imperial edict on this matter." Cao Rui raised his hand and pointed at Pei Qian: "Tell the cabinet to posthumously confer the title of General of the Guard on Zhang Junyi and bury him beside Emperor Wu's Gaoling in Yecheng. The funeral will be presided over by Minister of Rites Wei Dan in Yecheng, and it should be grand."

"If I am unwilling to confer a posthumous title of general, how can I make the generals trust me? Let's do it this way, and tell the cabinet not to discuss this matter anymore."

"I understand. I have written it down." (End of this chapter)