The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 28 Let him die of illness!
In the general's mansion.

Sima Zhao sat in the upper seat with a stern face.

His many confidants sat on his left and right.

The atmosphere was somewhat solemn, and no one spoke.

The news of what happened in Yuancheng had reached Luoyang. Sima Zhao received the news at dawn today. Shocked and furious, he quickly summoned everyone again.

When everyone arrived at the general's mansion, their expressions were somewhat complicated.

Sima Zhao immediately understood that the news had already spread.

Sima Zhao's face looked quite ugly. He naturally knew very well what impact this news would bring.

It’s hard to say what these confidants in front of me are thinking at this moment.

"Everyone, you probably all know what the noble lord said."

"Lord Xiahou, Lord Li, and the others have ruined their reputations by plotting rebellion. They deserve this punishment. Lord Gaogui is still young, having never been to Luoyang, and knows nothing about state affairs. He was provoked by others to speak such words."

"What do you think?"

As Sima Zhao spoke, he first looked at his number one aide, Du Yu.

Du Yu was also frowning at this moment.

"General, Lord Xiahou and Lord Li are renowned throughout the world, and everyone in the world sympathizes with their plight. When the general was about to punish them, even you submitted a petition to plead for their lives."

"Now that the noble township official has spoken, I'm afraid more people will petition for redress."

"Since we have exterminated their clan, there is absolutely no reason to regret it."

"If we give in now, all the great general's past efforts will be in vain."

"What we need to do now is to find a way to suppress this matter. In addition, I think Gao Guixiang Gong is young and frivolous, and can be easily instigated. He is not the right choice for a wise ruler. We can recall Wang Su and others."

Du Yu expressed his opinion.

Xiahou Xuan and Li Feng were both very famous, even more so than Wang Su, Wang Xiang and others today. Xiahou Xuan was knowledgeable and proficient in metaphysics. He and He Yan pioneered the metaphysics of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. He was the rightful leader of metaphysics and the leader of the literati.

As for Li Feng, he started out as a commentator, commenting on people all over the world and helping various wealthy families to become famous.

Although Li Feng's reputation is not as good as Xiahou Xuan's, he is considered a neutral family, just like many of the aristocratic families today. His experience has also aroused the fear and pity of many of the same aristocratic families.

Sima Zhao listened to Du Yu's words and was about to continue asking questions.

But someone else spoke up and said, "I don't think it's appropriate."

Sima Zhao looked at this person. This person's noble aura was enough to make Du Yu pale in comparison. He had a smile on his face and his manners were extremely elegant.

This man's name is Xun Xu.

He was the great-grandson of Xun Shuang and had served as an official under Cao Shuang. After Cao Shuang was killed, he was the only one who dared to go to the funeral, and the Sima family ignored it.

After that, his career was like a rocket, he was promoted all the way, and now he is Sima Zhao's military assistant.

Sima Zhao trusted him very much and was willing to listen to his advice.

Xun Xu said, "General, Lord Xiahou and Lord Li are already dead, and their clans have been exterminated. Restoring their reputations now will not hurt you in any way. Instead, it will win the hearts of the court officials, and everyone will respect you even more for this."

"Now that the traitors in the court have been removed, why not accede to the wishes of the virtuous and restore their reputation? Pardon their distant relatives to show your generosity and kindness."

"As for the noble Duke, he is indeed not worthy of being worshipped in the temple, so there is no need to bother with him."

Sima Zhao's eyes lit up and he was quite moved.

That's right. Xiahou Xuan and Li Feng are both dead. The dead cannot be resurrected. His clan was also killed, and those who are left are all small figures.

If we can redress their wrongdoings, we can also gain a very good reputation and get more support from the aristocratic families.

Du Yu naturally saw Sima Zhao's excitement, and he hurriedly said, "General!"

"It's not such a simple thing."

"If we redress their wrongdoings, the consequences will be endless!"

Xun Xu looked at Du Yu in surprise, "Oh? Endless harm? Why don't you tell me the truth, Mr. Du?"

Du Yu's face flushed, and he couldn't explain it any more clearly. He just said, "General, think carefully!"

Sima Zhao immediately hesitated.

Sima Zhao looked at the other ministers, and these people naturally expressed their thoughts. The vast majority of his confidants stood on Xun Xu's side.

They all thought that it would be better to go with the flow and gain fame through this matter.

As for Cao Mao, he was naturally abandoned by them all.

Cao Mao must no longer be used and must disappear, but he can still be rehabilitated.

However, when most people began to stand on Xun Xu's side, Sima Zhao became alert.

Sima Zhao was far inferior to his brother.

But Sima Zhao was not an incompetent person. Sima Yi's two sons each had their own strengths.

Sima Shi was good at decision-making and action, while Sima Zhao was better at contacting and communicating with people. He promoted many key figures and maintained good relations with people from different forces.

All the ministers were afraid of Sima Shi and wanted to be close to Sima Zhao.

Sima Zhao was inferior to his brother, but he also had his own areas of expertise.

For example, now, I see the confidants who usually argue over various interests suddenly standing together.

Sima Zhao immediately felt something was wrong.

But he didn't show it. He smiled and nodded, "You all have made appropriate considerations. I will inform my brother about the redress!"

"You came in such a hurry that you probably haven't had a meal yet. You can eat something first and then discuss this matter with the general."

Everyone was delighted, except Du Yu, who looked worried.

Sima Zhao ordered Du Yu to cut some flesh for him. As the crowd was making noise, he whispered, "What are you worried about?"

"General, if you open this door, there will be countless people who will oppose you in the future. In addition, your prestige will be destroyed, and the great cause you have carefully planned will fail."

"Rehabilitation is not good for you, but it will benefit others. You should think carefully about it."

Du Yu said calmly and sat back in his seat.

Sima Zhao narrowed his eyes, but he already understood it in his heart.

But he did not rush to scold or expose the people in front of him. Instead, he began to worry about the important officials in the temple.

Gao Rou, Zheng Chong, Lu Yu, Wang Xiang, Wang Guan, and Zhong Yu.
If even his own confidants are in this state, what will be the attitude of the ministers who occupy important positions in the temple?
They usually maintain friendly relations with the Sima family and remain neutral, but now, they may not miss this opportunity.

Sima Zhao suddenly felt a headache.

Sure enough, soon a soldier hurried over and whispered a few words to Sima Zhao.

The soldiers brought news that the ministers seemed to want to hold a court meeting to discuss the matter of rehabilitating Xiahou Xuan and others.

Sima Zhao suppressed the anger in his heart and still had a smile on his face.

"okay, I get it."

He looked at his confidants and said loudly, "I will inform the general about this matter and ask him to deal with it."

"If you have eaten and drunk enough, please go back!"

He said goodbye to everyone with a smile and returned to his study.

As soon as he entered the study, Sima Zhao angrily kicked over the table in front of him.

"You bastards! You're all a bunch of idiots!"

"Greedy and shameless villain!!"

Even though the Sima family could be cruel and ruthless and completely shameless, they could not ignore the request from the Aristocratic Family Alliance. Although Sima Zhao was angry, he knew very well that he must not turn against them.

The consequences of falling out would be even more unfavorable to the Sima family.

He looked at Du Yu standing aside.

"This matter is no longer something I can resolve. My eldest brother's illness, alas, is truly inopportune. He has not summoned me or written to me until now."

"I don't know if he has learned about this."

"Now it's up to us to solve it."

"These villains are certainly hateful, but we can't turn against them now."

"But I can't forgive the evildoer who caused all this!"

Sima Zhao's eyes were filled with rage.

"Send people to Yuancheng!!"

"Lord Gaogui was frail and sickly, and died young!!"

Du Yu was horrified and said quickly, "General! You can't do this!"

"Yuan Kai! I've made up my mind, so stop trying to persuade me!"

"No one can make me change my mind!"

"This fellow is only thirteen or fourteen years old, yet he has already caused such harm. If he is allowed to live any longer, the Great Wei will be in danger!"

"Get rid of it immediately!"

"Hurry up!"

ps: July’s new book, "Supporting the Han Dynasty", will be released today. Hahaha, he writes about Shu Han and I write about Cao Wei. The Three Kingdoms area is going to be lively!

(End of this chapter)