The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 156 Save His Life

"Your Majesty, the Taixuan you mentioned the other day comes from the Book of Changes. It uses two to make three, representing heaven, earth, and man. I think that's different. Taixuan means nine, nine, and nine times nine. How can it be considered three?"

Ji Kang sat next to Cao Mao, looked him straight in the eyes, and began the debate.

Cao Mao quickly lowered his head and said seriously, "I really don't dare to debate."

"This is not a debate, I'm just asking for advice from Your Majesty!"

No matter how Cao Mao refused, Ji Kang insisted on asking him something.

Sima Yan brought some wine and everyone started drinking, discussing Confucian classics while eating and drinking. Zhong Hui himself was also a representative figure of metaphysics. When facing so many famous scholars, he wanted to show his talents more and more.

For some reason, Lu An also found Zhong Hui and had a passionate debate with him. Lu An was not very good at studying classics, far inferior to Ji Kang, Ruan Ji and others.

Facing Zhong Hui, he could only be unilaterally abused, but Lu An refused to submit and became more courageous as he was defeated.

Instead of being angry, Zhong Hui was very happy. He pulled Lu An aside and started talking nonstop.

"Your Majesty, Taixuan said that there are nine ranks of humanity. There are nine levels of heaven, nine layers of earth, and nine clans!"

Ji Kang spoke loudly, then suddenly lowered his voice.

"I may be of humble talent, but I am willing to die for your majesty."

Cao Mao blinked.

"Shuye! Nine is a cycle, three is a progression, they are different!"

"I have a letter. Please give it to Lu Ruo Ling Jiao Bo."

Ji Kang suddenly grabbed Cao Mao's hand and said sternly, "What's the difference? It's called the Three Advances."

The debate between the two seemed very tense.

Cao Mao saw that Lu An had restrained Zhong Hui tightly, and he probably understood in his heart that Lu An knew what Ji Kang and he were going to do. Of course, Ruan Ji also knew it. Cao Mao looked at Ruan Ji, who had ripped open his clothes and was writing a poem, attracting the attention of everyone else.

Cao Mao hesitated for a moment, then quickly said, "How can Lu An be trusted? Lu Xun is Sima Shi's spy."

After saying that, he quickly switched to debate mode.

Ji Kang was shocked.

Lü Xun was Lü An's elder brother and had a close relationship with Ji Kang, often spending time together. What does Your Majesty mean by this? Lü An is trustworthy, but his brother isn't? Was he a spy for Sima Shi?
Ji Kang didn't quite believe this. How could Your Majesty know this? Your Majesty had never left the palace and had never seen this person!
However, in order to handle such a major event, he had to be cautious. Even if he didn't believe it, he had to be vigilant.

Cao Mao couldn't say too much directly, so when everyone's attention was not on him, Cao Mao quickly explained a few more things.

First, he hoped that Ji Kang would not do anything extra and would not say too much to Jiao Bo. He only needed to secretly hand the letter to the other party and not get involved in other matters.

Second, he hoped that Ji Kang could slightly change his attitude towards the Sima family, and if Zhong Hui and others came to win him over, he could pretend to agree.

Finally, of course, I hope Ji Kang can be careful, not tell these things to anyone, never be impulsive, always be vigilant, and discuss with Lu An before doing anything.

Cao Mao never thought that Ji Kang could do anything. This man was indeed strong and was also a relative of his, so he could be trusted.

But the problem is that Ji Kang is not good at doing these things and is not suitable to be entrusted with important tasks. Cao Mao currently only wants to use him as a messenger.

As a liaison between himself and forces outside the palace.

The real work still has to be left to Jiao Bo.

When Jia Chong was still in power, Cao Mao was closely watched.

He could hardly do anything.

Not to mention letters. When writing, there would always be someone watching. They would even count the amount of paper in the palace and only burn it after they had figured it out. It was impossible to pass on any information outside.

But now Zhong Hui didn't care about these things at all. Even the people who burned the paper were Cao Mao's own people. This gave Cao Mao finally the opportunity to command the forces outside.

Ji Kang kept these things in mind, but pretended to be unhappy, complaining about Cao Mao's mistakes in the classics, and retreated among the many famous scholars. Then, Wang Rong sat next to Cao Mao with a smile.

This surprised Cao Mao a little.

Among all the guys in the Bamboo Grove, the one who was least willing to get close to him was Wang Rong.

Wang Rong's father, Wang Hun, was the governor of Liangzhou and was very close to the Sima family.

Wang Rong himself was not very close to the Sima family, and even had a good relationship with Zhong Hui. Zhong Hui only recommended two people to Sima Zhao, one was Pei Kai and the other was Wang Rong.

The historical evaluation of this person is very complicated. Some say that Wang Rong is a magnanimous person and has a close relationship with his ministers, while others say that Wang Rong is narrow-minded and jealous and angry.

Some say that Wang Rong was a kind and honest person who did not love money, while others say that Wang Rong was greedy and stingy. He would drill through the pits of plums when selling them, for fear that other people would also grow plums. This is something that no normal person would do.

Cao Mao felt that if Wang Rong was a jealous, angry, stingy and petty person who had no demeanor of a gentleman, he would most likely not be able to become friends with people like Ruan Ji, Ji Kang and Zhong Hui.

Even if Ruan Ji and Ji Kang were not good at judging people, Zhong Hui would not be unable to see it.

Perhaps this person's personality changed drastically after he gained power, or perhaps the drugs he took damaged his brain.

At this moment, he still looks like an elegant and famous person.

"Your Majesty, I can now be considered as a fellow disciple of yours!"

"I have long known of my father's talent and have been determined to develop it. I never imagined that Your Majesty would get there first!"

Looking at the smile on Wang Rong's face, Cao Mao immediately came to his senses.

It turned out to be because of Wang Xiang.

Wang Xiang's great-grandfather was Wang Ren, who had two sons, Wang Rong and Wang Rui. Wang Xiang was Wang Rong's son, and Wang Rong was Wang Rui's great-grandson. Although they had separated, their relationship remained good and they often looked after each other, as they were both the Princes of Langya.

Cao Mao also showed appropriate goodwill.

"Teacher is a great talent, and Wang Jun is even more extraordinary. In the future, I will definitely ask Wang Jun for advice."

"How dare I? How dare I! I have benefited greatly from your Majesty's words. I would like to copy a few of them, take them back to the palace, and read them day and night to improve my own abilities. I wonder if your Majesty will allow me to do so?"

Cao Mao narrowed his eyes. Oh, the teacher told me not to worry. So this is what he meant.

"Of course, Your Majesty, just record it!"

Wang Rong once again asked Cao Mao about his many ideas, and Cao Mao naturally told him everything. Wang Rong himself was also very talented, and he hurriedly began to copy it at a very fast speed. Several famous scholars came to check it out and couldn't help but nod their heads.

This banquet lasted until very late, probably the latest among all the banquets.

When seeing everyone off, Sima Yan couldn't help but complain.

"The prince has delayed until this time. If he wants to listen, why not just stay by your Majesty's side as a cavalryman? Why bother copying it?"

Cao Mao glanced at him and said, "See, this is why Wang Rong, at the same age, was able to become a famous scholar!"

"What do you mean the same age?! He's clearly two years older than me!"

Sima Yan was very dissatisfied.

Cao Mao gave him a Ruan Ji-style eye roll.

"He's such a good person at keeping his reputation high. Why do you think he copied down those remarks?"

“It’s just for studying!”

"Oh, he took it out to make a name for himself in front of the princes."

"Ah? Does the prince still need him to help him spread his fame?"

"This reputation still needs others to help spread it, not yourself. The prince is unwilling to show his talents, so Wang Rong can only "accidentally" leak it. Besides, he is so active, and he can also gain a reputation for being filial to his relatives and studious. Look at him, this is called killing two birds with one stone!"

Sima Yan's eyes widened. "These people are too cunning and too smart!"

Cao Mao laughed and said helplessly, "Don't blame them. This isn't entirely their fault. Reputation is the key to selecting scholars, and scholars all pursue it, seeking popularity and attention at all costs. Even you aren't pursuing fame, are you?"

Sima Yan's face turned red and he stammered.

"This is all normal. Since we can't change the status quo, we naturally have to integrate first. When we have a higher status and can make changes, we can take action."

"Anshi, don't feel ashamed. Keep working hard to improve your reputation and become a famous scholar!"

“Only when you stand high enough can you see far enough!”

Sima Yan looked at the young emperor who was full of vigor and vitality, was in a daze for a moment, and then nodded heavily.

The next day, Sima Yan had just opened his eyes when he hurriedly changed his clothes and left the inner room.

Along the way, the servants were very surprised and bowed to him.

It was the first time they saw Sima Yan get up so early.

When Sima Yan arrived in front of a large courtyard in the backyard, a servant stood in front of him and bowed to greet him with a smile.

"Please tell me I'm here to see my mother."

The servant was stunned and quickly turned around and walked into the inner room.

A moment later, Wang Yuanji hurried out of the courtyard. She frowned, looking a little worried. "My son, what happened?"

"I'm here to see my mother. Is she okay?"

Sima Yan saluted respectfully.

Wang Yuanji was stunned for a moment before she helped him up and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I just came to visit my mother. My father is not home, and later I will visit my uncle, aunt, and younger brother."

Wang Yuanji suddenly understood, smiled and took his hand, "My son is very filial!"

Wang Yuanji took her son into the inner room and motioned him to sit aside. Holding a cup of tea in her hand, she looked at her son with a smile, and the more she looked, the more satisfied she became.

She has always been worried about her eldest son because when he was born, the Sima family was in the most dangerous time. Therefore, she was unable to build up momentum for Sima Yan in advance, and did not even have time to teach him. This made Wang Yuanji very worried about her son's future.

She knew that Sima Zhao preferred his younger son, which made her even more worried. She was afraid that Sima Yan would not be able to control his younger brother, which would lead to fighting and competition between the two brothers, just like Emperor Wen and Prince Chen Si, and ultimately make the two brothers incompatible.

Although Sima Yan had a simple character, he would blindly obey anyone's instructions.

But in recent days, his son seemed to have become a different person. His fame and reputation increased greatly, and now he even knew how to establish himself as a filial son.

Sima You had been left behind by him and no longer posed a threat to him.

Wang Yuanji was very pleased.

As a result, he even developed some favorable feelings towards Cao Mao.

If things change, maybe he can be saved.

(End of this chapter)