The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 326 Past
When Cao Mao appeared in Taiji Hall again, Zhang Hua hurried to greet him.

"how's it going?"

"Du Yu was somewhat suspicious of Sima Zhao's words, but he didn't say much."

Cao Mao nodded, "I never thought I could hide it from him."

"Let him know that if he doesn't do his job, he will have to implicate those who value him."

Zhang Hua was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly said: "Your Majesty, is this behavior a bit inappropriate? Du Yuankai is a gentleman, as long as Your Majesty treats him with sincerity..."

Cao Mao's eyes were particularly sharp.

"How can I have so much time?"

"The people of Hebei, Bingzhou, and Yongliang are all suffering. Besides, is Du Yu completely blameless?"

"Isn't he Sima Zhao's accomplice? I didn't pursue his faults because of his talent, and let him contribute to the country. If he is unwilling to contribute, then his talent will be of no use."

Zhang Hua was unable to refute it.

I don’t know when it started, but Your Majesty has been giving people the feeling of being more and more like Sima Shi.

That tone of voice and the vigorous and decisive way of doing things.

But Zhang Hua also knew very well why His Majesty was like this. He was just an eunuch beside the emperor, and he was almost exhausted these days. He was even more angry when he saw those memorials.

It was difficult for him to imagine what state His Majesty was in.

What he said to Du Yu was even embellished, and the real situation was only more outrageous than what he said.

Grand Minister of Agriculture Lu Qin came to Taiji Hall yesterday and said that the supplies that the temple was preparing to ship to Yongliang were inexplicably missing.

After Lu Yu inquired, he got the answer that it was caused by losses on the road.

But the problem is, these supplies are still in Taicang and haven’t been sent on their way yet!

Can all supplies that are not on the road be damaged during the journey?
The Supreme Court has already taken over this matter.

Because of the concessions made by many wise rulers and loyal ministers in the past, officials in the temple took many things for granted.

They think there is nothing wrong with doing this, as they have always done this in the past. If you don't arrest those people, why are you arresting me?
Just for this matter, Zhang Hua had already made six trips to the Supreme Court.

All I can say is that His Majesty was able to keep his composure at this moment and not jump up and kill the three clans of the people, which is already very benevolent.

Cao Mao sat in the West Hall, and around him were all kinds of documents and memorials.

These things piled up like a mountain, surrounding Cao Mao.

Most of the content above is not good news.

Cao Mao knew that the government was in bad shape, but he didn't expect it to be this bad.

The entire dynasty, from inside to outside, from top to bottom, was riddled with problems. In Cao Mao's view, it had almost reached a point where there had to be destruction before construction could take place.

Repairing this dynasty is harder than rebuilding one!

He looked through the many memorials in front of him with an expressionless face. At this moment, Mr. Xu walked into the hall in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, Madam Zheng requests an audience."

Cao Mao was stunned. "What is she doing here? Let her in."

Mr. Xu took the order, and soon, Zheng Xian appeared in front of Cao Mao. She quickly placed the thing in her hand in front of Cao Mao and opened the lid. Cao Mao took a closer look and thought, "Isn't this the egg fried rice I made in Yuancheng?"

When Cao Mao was in Yuancheng, he sold all kinds of things to merchants for money, including many recipes.

Seeing Cao Mao's astonished look, Zheng Xian smiled and sat beside him.

"I made this myself, would you like to try it?"

Cao Mao looked at the food in surprise, then looked at her.

"You did it?"

"Yeah, I heard you like to eat this, so I asked someone to teach you how to make it."

Cao Mao narrowed his eyes immediately, "Who told you that?"

Zheng Xian said angrily, "Listen to what the spy beside you said!"

Cao Mao immediately touched his nose and asked, "What did Madam Sima say?"

"Come, try it! This is my first time cooking for someone, and Tang Guanling and the others are full of praise for me!"

Cao Mao took a look at the rice and asked, "Isn't it rude to the chef?"

Zheng Xian looked at Cao Mao dimly.

Cao Mao smiled awkwardly and quickly picked up his chopsticks, "Okay, I'll try Madam's cooking!"

"Well, eat it. Even my father has never eaten my food!"

Zheng Xian's eyes were full of anticipation.

Cao Mao immediately picked up the dish and put it into his mouth.

"Cough, cough cough cough~~~"

The next moment, Cao Mao almost vomited the food in his mouth. He covered his face and forced himself to swallow the food, then started coughing painfully again.

Zheng Xian was shocked. "What happened?"

Cao Mao took a deep breath and looked at Zheng Xian in fear.

"Luckily, Duke Zheng never ate your meal, otherwise I would have lost a capable minister!"

“How much salt did you add???”

Zheng Xian was stunned for a moment. "Not much. I just followed his instructions."

She snatched the chopsticks from Cao Mao's hand and picked up the food. "Are you usually pampered?"

Zheng Xian had just taken a bite when her expression suddenly turned ferocious.

But she didn't swallow it, and she spit it out directly. Then, the atmosphere in the West Hall became a little silent, and the two looked at each other without saying a word.

Zheng Xian turned back into her honest self at this moment, sitting obediently in front of Cao Mao with her head lowered, her face looking a little aggrieved.

"I don't know. I was just following my instructions."

"If the price of salt in our Great Wei soars, it must be Madam's doing."

"Didn't I also do this to make you happy?!"

Cao Mao took a deep breath and then said seriously, "Madam, there is no need to be like this. I understand your thoughts. Being close to me and seeking benefits for the clan is what you should do."

"Since I have allowed you to stay in the palace, I will certainly not forget to reward your clan. You don't have to do this."

"As long as you can."

Cao Mao looked at Zheng Xian who was flipping the "golden rice" with chopsticks and said, "I am talking to you!"

Only then did Zheng Xian sit up straight again.

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"As long as you can get along well with everyone in the palace, I will not be stingy with my rewards. You don't have to do anything else."

Zheng Xian frowned, "Why does cooking for you mean profiting the clan?"

"Why else?"

"It's mainly because you're good-looking."

"I"

"I"

Cao Mao opened his mouth again, but didn't know how to answer. Zheng Xian looked at the golden rice in front of her and said helplessly, "What a pity for this meal."

“I can only throw it away.”

“Pour it out?!”

Cao Mao's expression suddenly turned serious. "I wonder how many people in the Wei Dynasty can't even get a full meal! Who allowed you to waste food like this?!"

"I ate it myself."

Zheng Xian was a little angry and a little aggrieved. She didn't understand why Cao Mao was so mean to her, as he clearly meant well.

She left with the food.

Cao Mao snorted coldly and looked at the memorial in his hand again.

After Zheng Xian left Taiji Hall, she went directly to Shiqian Hall to complain to Sima Yi.

Sima Yi looked at the little girl in front of her with a smile. To Sima Yi, both Cao Mao and Zheng Xian were too young. Cao Mao was fifteen years old, and Zheng Xian was seventeen years old. Sima Yi was ten years older than Cao Mao and eight years older than Zheng Xian.

"Sister, I meant well, but he didn't appreciate it at all!"

"You know what? I told him I cooked the meal myself, and he actually asked me how I knew he liked Yuancheng food!"

"How can this be?"

Sima Yi was stunned for a moment, then she said seriously, "You don't know that when His Majesty first came to the court, his every move was watched. He couldn't even have a normal conversation with anyone. Every day someone recorded his words and deeds and reported them to my father."

"His Majesty has persisted for so long under these circumstances. It's only natural that he would be suspicious if you suddenly mentioned his favorite food. This is perfectly normal."

"what?!"

There was some confusion in Zheng Xian's eyes. Zheng Xian was different from Sima Yi. She was not very old. Although she had received education, Zheng Xiaotong never told her family about important matters in the court. Her understanding of the court was similar to Guo Ze's, and she only saw the surface.

She asked in surprise: "Why is the general staring at the emperor? This is the emperor of Wei."

Sima Yi suddenly realized that she seemed to have let something slip.

She hesitated and said, "Perhaps it is to prevent His Majesty from going astray."

At this moment, Zheng Xian also realized something. She frowned and thought of what had happened in Luoyang in recent days.

"Has he ever suffered?"

"Not only that, there's a talkative eunuch in the palace, named Liu or something, who often talks about Yuancheng with the palace attendants. I heard that the princes in this place have a very miserable life. Often, even feeding the people in the palace is a big problem."

This time, Sima Yi talked about her understanding of the princes from various places. Compared with Zheng Xian, she obviously had a higher level of knowledge about the court and the local areas.

Zheng Xian's eyes widened. She didn't know any of this.

No wonder he hates wasting food so much.

Did he ever go hungry when he was a prince?

No wonder he's so suspicious and unwilling to accept my kindness. Is it because of some unspoken past experiences?
Zheng Xian suddenly realized that she still knew nothing about this emperor. She was just facing him according to her own ideas and had never known his thoughts and experiences.

She asked, "Is that talkative Lord Liu in the palace?"

"Oh, he must be gone. I haven't heard his voice for many days. His voice is so loud that I can hear it from across two halls."

Zheng Xian suddenly laughed.

Her mood seemed to have improved a lot. She looked at the food in front of her again and said seriously, "He is a frugal person. From ancient times to the present, wise rulers have always been frugal. Food should not be wasted!"

She gritted her teeth and began to eat the golden meal in front of her.

Sima Yi couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so she took the chopsticks and started eating for her.

Sima Yi's expression was very calm while she ate the meal, without even a frown on her face.

"Sister? Don't you think this tastes a little hard to swallow?"

Sima Yi replied, "It's just some food. After experiencing it enough, there's nothing you can't stand."

Zheng Xian was stunned. She looked at Sima Li in front of her.

It seems that this sister also has a past that she is not aware of.

(End of this chapter)