The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 217 He Didn’t Lose

"My dear nephew, accept my condolences."

Lu Yu stepped forward and helped Sima Zhao up, his face full of sadness.

"The great general has passed away. We are all deeply saddened. I wonder if he left any last words before his passing?"

Sima Zhao shook his head, "No."

Lu Yu sighed again.

"The world will never forget the great general's achievements. I will definitely submit a petition to the imperial court, requesting a posthumous title commensurate with his character and merits."

Sima Zhao was in no mood to listen to Lu Yu's nonsense. He said, "My brother has passed away. I no longer have the heart to govern the country. I will resign my official title and devote myself to mourning for my brother."

Hearing Sima Zhao's words, Lu Yu trembled all over and looked at Sima Zhao in front of him in disbelief.

Lu Yu originally thought that after Sima Shi's death, the more radical Sima Zhao would replace him and start a head-on fight against him.

He had already made preparations, but Sima Zhao was actually going to retreat now?
Lu Yu was a little bit unconvinced. He asked, "Are you serious?"

"Does Lord Lu think I'm unfilial?!"

"When my father passed away, I was busy with important matters and was unable to observe mourning. Now my brother's son is still young and not old enough to observe mourning. I should observe mourning for my father and brother."

"OK!!"

Lu Yu patted Sima Zhao on the shoulder and said, "General Zhengxi is truly filial! Your filial piety is truly touching!"

Everyone could see the ecstasy in Lu Yu's heart at this moment.

The competitor died, and the next competitor withdrew.

In the struggle in the temple, once you withdraw from the core of power, it will be extremely difficult to return again. Unless Sima Zhao can achieve the same level as his father, such a withdrawal basically means the end of his political life.

It was really hard for Lu Yu to describe his feelings at the moment. It was a double blessing, everything was moving in the best direction, and success would come today!

Lu Yu immediately pulled Sima Zhao aside and informed the ministers of Sima Zhao's thoughts, as if he was afraid that Sima Zhao would go back on his word.

The ministers were also very surprised. They didn't understand that although Sima Shi was dead, the Sima family was still that behemoth. Whether in the temple or in the local area, they had extremely powerful forces. No big family could challenge them alone.

The ministers even believed that Sima Shi's illness had previously hindered the Sima family, preventing them from launching an effective counterattack. Now that he was dead and Sima Zhao was in good health, he should lead the Sima family in an all-out struggle.

Why would he choose to give in at this time?
Seeing the suspicious looks of his ministers, Sima Zhao also couldn't understand this matter.

But he still obeyed his brother's will.

At this moment, someone hurriedly stood up, grabbed Sima Zhao's hand and pulled him aside.

This person was Zhao Feng. Zhao Feng gritted his teeth and said, "General, what do you want to do?"

As a prominent family in Hanoi, the fate of the Zhao family has long been tied to that of the Sima family and cannot be easily separated. Zhao Feng completely does not understand Sima Zhao's decision at this moment.

Sima Zhao asked Sima Yan to be responsible for the reception and took Zhao Feng out of here.

He whispered, "Please don't worry. This isn't me abandoning my father's wishes. This is my brother's order."

"Before my brother passed away, he told me to resign and wait for the ministers to persuade me to take on the position of general again."

"What??"

Zhao Feng frowned. "What does this mean? The ministers are extremely wary of us. They're probably all celebrating the General's passing. How could they possibly let the General take over? Or are they begging for the General to take the position?"

Sima Zhao said, "He also said a lot. From what he said, it seems that the Secretariat and the General will still be ours."

Zhao Feng hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Is the general perhaps mentally disturbed?"

Sima Zhao suddenly glared at him, and Zhao Feng quickly explained: "I am not disrespecting the general, I am just worried. What the general said is really..."

Sima Zhao said calmly, "I believe in you, brother."

"He's definitely not unconscious. He's very clear-headed, and he's definitely made arrangements. You don't have to worry. We can't take any more action right now. Let everyone under your command be quiet and focus on their own affairs. Let them jump around for a while longer."

"Those who are not resolute and are hesitant can leave and seek refuge with Lu Yu. This is actually a good thing. Those who remain with us now are all wise men who are truly close to us."

After hearing what Sima Zhao said, Zhao Feng no longer objected, nodded and agreed.

At this moment, the ministers had already confirmed Sima Shi's death, and even learned that Sima Zhao was unwilling to fight anymore. These news made them very happy.

Gradually, the ministers who gathered in the General's Mansion left.

They still have a lot of things to do.

When Sima Shi died, he left behind a lot of inheritance, which needed to be divided among them.

People came and went, but fewer and fewer ministers came to pay homage.

In Zhaoyang Palace, Gao Rou was telling the Queen Mother the news of Sima Shi's death in a vivid manner.

Empress Dowager Guo's first reaction was disbelief, and then ecstasy.

She was so happy that she wanted to start celebrating right away, just like the other officials in the temple.

Gao Rou was very smart. He linked his actions with Sima Shi's death, subconsciously making people feel that Sima Shi died because of him.

Empress Dowager Guo said excitedly: "Great! From now on, there will be no more enemies in the court."

Gao Rou said seriously, "Queen Mother, we can't celebrate too soon."

"Although Sima Shi is dead, his power is still huge. His younger brother Sima Zhao will take over these forces. Sima Zhao is radical and impatient, and may cause greater conflicts. At this moment, the Queen Mother should take the opportunity to take back power and make it impossible for the Sima family to fight back." Queen Mother Guo agreed and nodded hurriedly.

"Yes, yes, that's right!"

Gao Rou quickly said, "Therefore, I believe that the most crucial thing now is to take back the military power from the imperial court."

"The general has passed away, so it is up to you to find a suitable person to take his place."

"As a general, command the armies of the world and make them submit so that they dare not cause trouble again."

"This will also prevent Sima Zhao and others from causing chaos."

Gao Rou analyzed it seriously and kept giving hints.

Empress Dowager Guo nodded, thinking that what he said made sense, so she hurriedly asked, "What do you think about appointing Wang Taichang as the general?"

Gao Rou took a deep breath, and veins suddenly appeared on his forehead.

He looked at the Queen Mother in front of him again. He had hinted so clearly, and you were telling me about Wang Xiang?

What qualifications does that old man have to be a general? Call him over now and see if he dares to accept the position!
Is this stupid woman pretending to be confused, or does she really not understand my hint?

Gao Rou said helplessly, "Queen Dowager, I'm afraid the prince's qualifications are not enough. He has only been a Nine Ministers for a short time and has no military achievements."

Speaking of military achievements, the Queen Mother suddenly realized, "What about Minister Wang Guan? He has the qualifications and experience! He also knows how to lead troops in battle!"

Gao Rou was silent for a long time. "Queen Dowager, what do you think of me?"

Empress Dowager Guo was stunned. "You are over eighty years old. Can you still lead troops to fight?"

Gao Rou was silent. Things were not going as smoothly as he had thought. Empress Dowager Guo was not easily persuaded on the selection of the general. She felt that this position needed to be carefully considered.

Gao Rou gave up the idea of persuading her to take office today and returned home temporarily to give the empress dowager some time to celebrate.

The General's Mansion.

By evening, there were almost no ministers coming to pay their respects.

At this moment, another minister came to the mansion.

Sima Gan hurriedly stood up. The person who came this time was Zhong Hui.

Zhong Hui frowned, his expression extremely complicated.

Sima Gan personally led him to the mourning hall.

Sima Zhao didn't expect that someone would come at this time. He stood up and bowed to greet him.

Zhong Hui just looked at the man lying on the upper seat calmly, then knelt in front of him.

Zhong Hui was a little stunned. When he was very young, he often heard his brother talk about the three most powerful scholars in Luoyang.

He Yan, Xiahou Xuan, Sima Shi.

Zhong Hui and his brother both admired these three people very much, or it could be said that there was no scholar in Luoyang at that time who did not admire these three people.

Zhong Hui repeatedly begged his brother to take him to their gatherings just to see them.

Sima Shi admired this child prodigy very much and even gave him guidance on his studies.

When Zhong Hui grew older, he directly defected to Sima Shi and became his confidant.

Zhong Hui really liked the feeling of working for Sima Shi, and he always firmly believed that Sima Shi was the sage king that a wise minister like himself needed.

He believed that the two of them would create an unprecedented great cause. Who in the world today could stand against us working together?
Destiny rests with the two of us, and we will usher in a new era.

However, before the wise minister could fully display his talents, the sage king had already passed away.

Zhong Hui sat here, saying nothing, not crying, just sitting there calmly.

"Shi Ji."

Sima Zhao spoke.

Zhong Hui looked at him and said, "The general did not lose."

"Ok?"

"All those who celebrated and were gloating today were unable to defeat the general."

Zhong Hui said to himself, "The general was not defeated by Lu Yu, nor by Wang Xiang, nor by Your Majesty."

"He just lost to time. If he could live another twenty years, do you think those people have a chance?"

Sima Zhao looked confused. He didn't know why Zhong Hui said this, nor did he know how to answer.

After Zhong Hui finished speaking, he stood up and said, "I didn't lose either."

He turned and left.

Sima Yan looked at his father, "What does he mean?"

Sima Zhao shook his head, "I don't know either."

(End of this chapter)