The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 21 How dare the firefly compete with the sun and the moon?

"My Lord, yesterday I dreamed that I was covering the Emperor Liezu with a blanket. What do you think this portends?"

In Zhaoyang Palace, Empress Dowager Guo asked with a confused look on her face.

Sitting in front of him was an extremely friendly old man.

The old man looked extremely kind, always with a faint smile on his face and clear eyes. No one could harbor any ill will towards him. At this moment, he sat respectfully beside Empress Dowager Guo, listening carefully to her questions.

"After Emperor Liezu passed away, the Empress Dowager took great care of state affairs, gave instructions to the new emperor, entrusted virtuous ministers, and worked hard for Emperor Liezu's great cause. This must be what the dream foreshadowed."

"My Lord, your reputation is known to everyone in the world. There are some things I can only consult with you."

Empress Dowager Guo said with some sadness, "Your Majesty originally entrusted the King of Qi to me, asking me to teach him well. However, due to my lack of talent, the King of Qi has become so unjust and evil that he cannot inherit the great achievements of our great ancestor."

"I had no choice but to issue an order to depose him from the throne and exile him to his fiefdom."

"However, Emperor Liezu originally had no children. When he adopted the Prince of Qi, he wanted him to inherit Liezu's legacy, carry on his great achievements, and remember to worship him and offer sacrifices to his temple."

"The King of Qi does not have such virtue and is not capable of doing this."

"Emperor Liezu had nine younger brothers, one of whom died young, and six died young. Most of them left no offspring. Only Prince Ding of Donghai had many children."

"Prince Ding of Donghai was young and intelligent, deeply favored by Emperor Gaozu. Later, when Emperor Liezu ascended the throne, he also showed him special favor, bestowing upon him the greatest rewards. He made an exception and allowed him to come to Luoyang. I held his hand and told him: This is my brother!"

"Prince Ding's son, Cao Mao, inherited his father's appearance and character. After Prince Ding's death, he voluntarily left his fiefdom, unwilling to enjoy himself, and observed mourning for Prince Ding for two years."

"He regarded Emperor Liezu as his father and me as his mother."

"He often wrote to me to inquire about my situation, and he would pay homage to the tomb of his father every day."

"He is a humble person. When the wise men in the court were ready to support him as emperor, he was afraid that his talents were insufficient and he would disappoint my expectations. He refused repeatedly and even considered committing suicide. Fortunately, he was stopped in time by the Anti-Assistant Order."

"Today, no one comes to worship at Emperor Liezu's temple, and no one inherits his great achievements."

"I would like to adopt Cao Mao, the Duke of Gaogui, as the child of Emperor Liezu, and have him succeed him as the legitimate crown prince. What do you think, my Lord?"

After Empress Dowager Guo finished speaking, she stared at the old man's face in front of her.

The old man was not surprised at all and kept smiling from beginning to end.

The old man was called Wang Xiang.

The protagonist in the story of lying on the ice to catch carp!
Because he was extremely filial to his stepmother, he became famous at a young age and was known as a filial son. Later, he repeatedly refused invitations to official positions and became famous.

At this moment, his reputation even surpassed Wang Su's.

After all, humility and filial piety are the most important topics today.

He also took this opportunity to become the moral leader of the literati at that moment.

Of course, he is also very capable and has a good ability to govern government affairs. After being recruited, his career has made rapid progress and he has now reached the position of Minister of Agriculture.

Wang Xiang participated in the "candidate war" between Empress Dowager Guo and Sima Shi, and cast an important vote for Cao Mao, confirming Cao Mao's position.

As a reward, Empress Dowager Guo also decided to confer the title of Guanglu Xun on Wang Xiang, who had "made great contributions to policy-making", after the emperor ascended the throne.

Sima Shi also attached great importance to this moral role model.

The Sima family really needed the support of this moral leader and needed the moral leader to testify for them in the future that the Sima family did not usurp the throne out of immorality, but was following the will of heaven.

Wang Xiang has a strong network of contacts and is friends with many major families. He is not at all panicked when faced with any emergency.

After Empress Dowager Guo spoke, Wang Xiang smiled and nodded.

"The Queen Mother is very thoughtful. We can do this."

During the late Han Dynasty and the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it was very common for childless families to adopt their brothers' children. Both Cao Rui and Sima Shi did so.

Empress Dowager Guo sighed deeply and said, "I am just a woman. I shouldn't be involved in the affairs of the court. Besides, there is already a precedent of the King of Qi. I am afraid that the wise men in the court will oppose me."

Wang Xiang was also a little confused at this moment. He didn't know why the Queen Mother was so eager to build momentum for Cao Mao and make him the orthodox.

Could it be that Sima Shi changed his mind?
That's impossible. He is quite different from his father. He is not the kind of person who would go back on his word easily.

He said tentatively, "Empress Dowager, since all the ministers agree to support Duke Gaogui, they will not object to him succeeding. He is the heir to the throne, so how could the ministers object?"

The Queen Mother said helplessly, "I heard that some people in the court are slandering the noble Duke and want to support someone else as the emperor."

Wang Xiang immediately understood.

Are you worried that Sima Shi will go back on his word, so you want to finalize this matter and avoid any further complications?
Wang Xiang laughed. The matter of supporting the emperor was not just the business of the Guo and Sima families, but also involved people like them.

Things that have been agreed upon by everyone cannot be changed at will by the Sima family.

This must be because, after Cao Mao's repeated refusal, Guo was worried that the Sima family would bring up the King of Pengcheng again, so she was determined to put the final nail in the coffin. After all, she was a woman, and she didn't even have this much patience.

"You, the Queen Mother, are worrying too much. The enthronement of the Emperor is a matter of great importance to the nation, and there is absolutely no reason to change it lightly."

Wang Xiang said seriously, "What the Queen Mother said will surely be supported by many talented people."

The Queen Mother nodded. "Hearing you say that, I'm relieved. Gao Guixiang Gong is young and filial by nature. When he comes to Luoyang, he should seek guidance from a great sage like you. You should teach him as a teacher and let him learn the principles of filial piety!"

The Queen Mother's words sounded like an order, but in essence it was a deal.

How could Wang Xiang dare to refuse the empress dowager's order?
He quickly stood up and said with deep fear, "I, an old minister, have no talent or virtue, and dare not serve as your majesty's teacher. However, I will certainly assist and advise your majesty, so that he will live up to the legacy of the Emperor Liezu!"

The deal is done.

Wang Xiang left the palace tremblingly, leaning on a crutch.

The next day, the rumors that Gaogui Xianggong would succeed Emperor Liezu swept Luoyang, and many moralists expressed their deep sorrow:
The King of Qi is without virtue and cannot offer sacrifices to the ancestor of glory, but the ancestor of glory must not be lost, so the closest relative, the noble Duke, should be adopted as the heir.

This just hit the Sima family's pain point.

After all, everyone knows how the sacrifices to Emperor Liezu were interrupted.

Although the Sima family is now in its heyday, it has not yet reached the full strength it had during the time of Sima Zhao, and it is impossible for them to ignore such a major issue as the discontinuation of Emperor Liezu's sacrifices.

No one realized that the original fill-in-the-blank question of choosing one from among many royal family members had turned into a multiple-choice question between Cao Mao and Cao Ju.

Sima Zhao was furious and immediately summoned many talented people to his mansion.

Then they prepared to impose martial law in the city.

Just when Sima Zhao decided to have a big fight with this bunch of dogs, a young and handsome man appeared here.

His appearance interrupted the meeting.

The man was tall, dressed gorgeously, and had a hint of arrogance in his eyes, but he was different from Guo Jian. Everyone hurriedly stood up to greet him.

This person's name is Zhong Hui.

He was the youngest son of Zhong Yao, an important official of Cao Wei. He was very famous at the age of five. He was well-read and was valued by Sima Shi. Later, he became an important aide to Sima Shi.

He brought Sima Shi's order.

"The general said: There are many loyal and good people in the court, and they are planning for the affairs of the great ancestor after his death. This is a good thing."

Sima Zhao frowned, quickly stood up, pulled Zhong Hui to his side, and forced him to sit down.

"Shi Ji, what is the general thinking? If he agrees to their plan, he will inherit everything from Emperor Liezu. If something unexpected happens in the future, how can this be done?"

Sima Zhao almost asked how he would ascend the throne in the future.

Zhong Hui held his head high, his face full of confidence.

"With the general here, what are you worried about? How can we guess what the general is thinking?"

Zhong Hui had great respect for Sima Shi.

Sima Shi said that Zhong Hui was a talent who could assist the king, and Zhong Hui also regarded Sima Shi as his mentor and assisted him with all his strength.

When Sima Zhao heard the other party say this, he immediately became deflated.

Fortunately, Sima Zhao trusted his brother enough, so he waved his hand and let his men leave.

"If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have supported Cao Mao. This guy hasn't even taken the throne yet, but he's already caused so much trouble. If he really takes the throne, won't it be even worse?"

Zhong Hui said solemnly, "Your Majesty possesses the virtue of modesty and the demeanor of a gentleman. Isn't this a blessing for the nation? Besides, how can the general address Your Majesty by his first name?"

Sima Zhao was stunned. Looking at the young man in front of him whose words and behavior were becoming more and more like his elder brother, he immediately smiled bitterly.

"Okay, okay, okay, you have the final say."

"Your Majesty is wise!!"

"The general is wise!!"

When Zhong Hui heard Sima Zhao's teasing, he immediately laughed.

"General, please don't be impatient. These little tricks are completely insignificant in front of the great general."

"It's just grandstanding and asking for trouble."

"How dare a firefly compete with the sun and the moon?"

(End of this chapter)