The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 277 We are friends

"Anshi!!"

Cao Mao stood on the carriage, smiled and waved.

At this moment, Sima Yan and his younger brother Sima You were standing in front of the General's Mansion, waiting respectfully for the emperor to arrive.

When Sima Yan saw Cao Mao coming, his eyes lit up. He was about to call out to him, but then he remembered his mother's instructions. He put away his smile and bowed deeply to greet him.

"What is Anshi doing?"

Cao Mao hurriedly helped him up, with some surprise in his eyes.

Sima Yan hesitated to speak, his expression was somewhat complicated, and his eyes were full of loneliness.

Sima You on the side lowered his head and did not dare to look Cao Mao in the eye.

Cao Mao sighed deeply, this day had finally arrived.

He knew in his heart that this was probably Wang Yuanji giving Sima Yan a temporary lesson, allowing him to see many things that he had not seen before.

For example, their family’s plans over the years, their family’s true relationship with the emperor, etc.

Sima Yan has not been involved in political affairs until now, and Sima Zhao has never allowed him to participate in family planning. Just as Sima Shi was protecting Sima Zhao's reputation, Sima Zhao was also protecting Sima Yan's reputation.

But in the current situation, Sima Zhao was not in Luoyang, and the court had encountered such a drastic change. Wang Yuanji was probably worried that Sima Yan would do something stupid, so she gave him some political education in time.

Sima Yan remained silent and did not dare to say anything more to Cao Mao.

"Does Anshi no longer consider me a friend?"

Sima Yan shook his head, "That's not the case."

Sima You was a little anxious at this moment. He quickly said, "My eldest brother and His Majesty are very close, but he has been unwell these past few days."

Cao Mao looked at Sima You, smiled, and without saying anything, pointed to the carriages behind him and said, "Those carriages are filled with adults. You can go and pay your respects to them."

Sima You did not dare to disobey and hurried there.

Cao Mao took Sima Yan's hand and walked into the general's mansion together.

"Is your mother the one who makes the decisions in the General's Mansion now?"

"Ah."

"Then go find your mother first. I still have a lot to say to her."

Cao Mao and Sima Yan were walking on the road. The two close friends were now silent, as if their relationship had become distant within a few days.

The soldiers followed Cao Mao into the mansion, and Cheng Ji and others followed behind them, looking around vigilantly.

They walked all the way to the backyard. Cao Mao ordered the others to guard the door, and he followed Sima Yan into the courtyard.

Wang Yuanji was sitting here with a stern face and a solemn expression. When Cao Mao walked in, she stared at him straight.

Cao Mao bowed and sat next to her.

"Please don't worry. I have already brought all the officers of the Central Army here. Starting today, they can stay in this mansion and be by your side."

"They didn't suffer much, and they even gained a lot of weight."

Cao Mao said with a smile.

Wang Yuanji narrowed her eyes. "Your Majesty is a man of extraordinary strategy. It's not unfair that they lost to you."

Cao Mao shook his head. "We've never been enemies, so how can we talk about winning or losing?"

"I have never thought of being hostile to anyone. I just want to govern this world well and prevent it from suffering."

Cao Mao said calmly, "I will not embarrass them, nor you, and certainly not General Wei."

"The Great Wei will face many enemies in the future. Besides those entrenched aristocratic families, there are many more disasters. In times of crisis, we should join forces to deal with powerful enemies together."

Wang Yuanji nodded, "Your Majesty is right."

Cao Mao laughed. For some reason, whenever he told the truth, these people would never believe him. On the contrary, if he told a lie, they would believe it without a doubt.

There are many things we will have to fight against in the future. Man-made disasters are certainly terrible, but natural disasters should not be underestimated. Plagues, snowstorms, droughts, these disasters will take turns to strike. If we are not prepared in time, this will bring great harm to the world.

Wang Yuanji glanced at Sima Yan and said, "Yan, you should leave first."

Sima Yan nodded, turned and left the inner room.

Cao Mao looked at Sima Yan's distraught figure and murmured, "Madam, you shouldn't have told him so many things. He has always wanted to be a Marquis and rule the world well."

Wang Yuanji said, "If we continue to keep it a secret from him, I'm afraid he will become a knife in Your Majesty's hand and be used against his own father."

Cao Mao shook his head, "Madam, you are wrong."

"What? Your Majesty dares to say that you don't have such thoughts?"

Cao Mao's eyes suddenly turned cold.

"Indeed not."

"Why is it so complicated to deal with Sima Zhao?"

"Back then, I was alone and weak, yet I still dared to challenge the great general. Now that I have grown into a powerful general, with brave and virtuous generals under my command, how could I still be afraid of Sima Zhao?!"

Cao Mao suddenly questioned.

His face was fierce and his eyes were sharp, no longer as gentle as usual.

Wang Yuanji turned pale and was speechless.

Seeing Wang Yuanji's obvious fear, Cao Mao once again suppressed his anger and put on his gentle smile. "Madam, I have come here to join forces with General Wei."

"I am not afraid of General Wei, but I do not want to start a war rashly. I will let Sima You inherit his father's title, and I will keep An Shi by my side so that he can grow into a true Marquis of Wu. Neither of your sons will suffer any loss."

"General Wei has no chance of winning. If he can wake up in time and not lose his title of nobility, I will not kill him and will use the rest of the Sima family."

"If General Wei refuses to comply this time, I will destroy the entire Sima family, even if it means both sides will suffer losses."

Cao Mao said seriously.

Wang Yuanji didn't dare to interrupt at all. Even when she learned that the emperor had succeeded, she was still somewhat dissatisfied with Cao Mao. The gentle emperor was still in her mind. But when Cao Mao revealed his hideous side, Wang Yuanji suddenly didn't dare to say anything more.

The person he was facing at this moment was the real powerful person in Luoyang.

If he wanted to, he could raze the entire General's Mansion to the ground at any time.

Wang Yuanji asked, "What does Your Majesty want me to do?"

"Please come forward to appease the Sima family members in Luoyang, so that they don't have any thoughts of resistance and can just focus on their own affairs."

"As for General Wei, perhaps An Shi will need to go there in person and tell him what happened."

Wang Yuanji didn't dare to say more and fell silent again.

"Please think about this carefully. I am the general's son-in-law, so I naturally wouldn't do anything to my own family. All I want is to get those who followed the general in the past: Du Yu, Sima Wang, Deng Ai, Wang Ji, and Hu Fen."

"It's a shame to let these people die in the civil war."

"And your father, he clearly has the talent to be one of the Three Dukes. The position of one of the Three Dukes is still vacant in the current court, and he is the first person I think of."

"General Wei is impatient and will not easily bow to me, but you are a reasonable person and you should be clear about the pros and cons of this matter."

Cao Mao then stood up and said, "Please think about this carefully, Madam."

Without waiting for Wang Yuanji's answer, he turned around and left the inner room. Sima Yan was standing outside the door waiting. When he saw Cao Mao come out, a trace of loneliness flashed in his eyes again.

Cao Mao motioned him to follow him, and the two of them began to wander around the General's Mansion.

"Anshi, I know exactly what you are thinking."

"When I first saw you, I actually wanted to kill you."

Sima Yan trembled all over.

Cao Mao continued, "Because I feel my position is insecure, and you are the most likely heir to the throne. I want to attack you, not out of anger, but because I think you have no talent and will ruin the world."

"But after interacting with you, I realized that you are completely different from your father and grandfather."

"You have a generous personality, are friendly and sincere to others, know right from wrong, and are simple and kind. I think you are a very good friend."

"So, I changed my mind and started teaching you some principles of governance. I thought that if I died, you could inherit my ambition and govern the world for me."

"I don't know what you think now, but to me, you are my best friend, and that will never change until death."

Cao Mao said this and looked at Sima Yan standing beside him.

Sima Yan's eyes were a little moist, but he didn't say anything.

"Anshi, the current situation is still unclear. After some time, I will send you away and let you go to your father."

"At that time, you can make your own choice."

"His Majesty."

Sima Yan suddenly spoke.

He asked, "You appointed me as the Military Advisor and General of the Household in order to use me to appease my mother and the Sima family?"

Cao Mao shook his head. "I was planning to use your brother to appease your mother and your people."

"I appointed you as military advisor so that I can take you with me when I visit Chang'an in person to attack Shu."

"I want you to be my Marquis Wu, and I want to entrust you with the great task of unifying the world in the future."

Sima Yan stared blankly into the distance and did not speak for a long time.

"If my mother hadn't told me this, would I never have known it?"

"Of course not. As you get older, one day you will understand a lot of things and have a sudden realization."

"But what others tell you is always inferior to what you figure out for yourself."

"Come to think of it, your mother actually knows me much less than you do."

"She might think that I've been using you all along, and that I want to use you to deal with your father and other people in the future."

"But only you know whether I have been using you all along."

Sima Yan lowered his head and said nothing.

Cao Mao reached out his hand again and touched his hair. "Anshi, I have to go first. There are still many things to do in the temple. You stay here and continue to look after your mother. Don't let anyone else in or out."

"The defense here still has to be left to you."

"Don't forget the Dongtang Banquet in two days."

"I'll be waiting for you in the East Hall then."

"Don't be late."

Cao Mao turned and left. Sima Yan stood there, staring blankly at the emperor walking away in the distance, silent.

(End of this chapter)