The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 36 Not worth mentioning
The autumn wind is bleak and the dead leaves are dancing in the wind.

The entire mansion was filled with armored soldiers, and all the entrances and palace gates were guarded by tall and mighty armored soldiers.

In this front hall, there were more than two hundred armored soldiers standing on both sides.

Sima Shi stood among them.

His eyes were like a sharp knife, stabbing into Cao Mao's body, as if trying to pierce him through.

Cao Mao had never felt such a strong sense of oppression. An indescribable uneasiness filled his heart and his whole body became stiff.

Why does Sima Shi appear here?

Shouldn't he be recuperating?
It wasn't just Cao Mao who was afraid; Sima Yan was even more frightened at this moment.

At this moment, he was like a girl who was caught on a secret date by her parents. He lowered his head and secretly distanced himself from Cao Mao.

Cao Mao forced himself to calm down and bowed deeply to Sima Shi.

"Meet the General!"

Sima Shi retracted his terrifying gaze and looked around his mansion.

"Your residence is quite nice."

"Thank you for the compliment, General!"

"This mansion was given by the great general. I owe my present position to you, all thanks to your kindness."

Sima Shi glanced at Sima Yan again, "What are you doing here?"

"Uncle. I. I."

Sima Yan was trembling and unable to speak.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Sima Shi's eyes, and he turned and walked into the inner room.

Cao Mao still maintained his posture of greeting and did not dare to move.

Sima Yan looked around and quickly walked to a middle-aged scholar. The scholar was not good-looking and of medium build. Standing next to Sima Shi, he was difficult to notice.

He had a sunny smile on his face, like a kind elder.

"Mr. Jia, why is my uncle here?"

When Sima Yan said this, Cao Mao took a deep breath again.

This is even more of a heavyweight.

The person with the surname Jia who could be called "Duke" by Sima Yan and stay by Sima Shi's side was naturally Jia Chong.

Jia Chong was the son of Jia Kui, a capable minister of the Wei Dynasty. He was born into the Pingyang Jia family. He was different from Zhong Hui. Zhong Hui had a close relationship with Sima Shi, Sima Zhao and others. After all, they all came from prominent families and were half ministers and half friends. But this guy was Sima Shi's most loyal lackey.

Whenever Sima Shi went on an expedition, he would leave him behind in Luoyang.

He served as the military advisor to the Grand General and served as the Grand General Sima during the reign of Sima Zhao. He personally carried out the regicide.

It was because of Sima Zhao's protection that he was not punished after committing such a crime.

As for the ministers of Jin Dynasty, their personal morals were quite mediocre, and this Jia Gong was even more mediocre. He killed the king and betrayed the country, was flattering and despicable, formed cliques for personal gain, and framed loyal and good people. He and his daughter Jia Nanfeng were known as the "Two Heroes of the Early Jin Dynasty."

But now Jia Chong looks so kind and gentle, and there is no trace of the ruthlessness that would dare to kill the king.

When he saw Sima Yan, his expression became even gentler.

"Anshi, your uncle came here naturally to welcome His Majesty."

Sima Yan was stunned. Looking at Cao Mao who was still kneeling, he said with reluctance, "Then why don't you allow Your Majesty to stand up?"

"I know your Majesty's character. Your Majesty is a loyal and honest person. Most of the previous events were misunderstandings."

Jia Chong looked at Cao Mao, as if he had just noticed that he was kneeling, and hurried forward to help him up personally.

"Your Majesty, please get up quickly. Please get up quickly."

If he didn't know his deeds, even Cao Mao would probably think he was a great good man.

Jia Chong said loudly, "The general has an eye disease and is recuperating in Luoyang. According to etiquette, we have sent the famous scholars and nobles to greet Your Majesty. You can come to Luoyang to see us."

"However, I never expected this action to cause such dissatisfaction from His Majesty. The general was deeply terrified and stopped recuperating. He hurried to Yuancheng to personally welcome His Majesty to the throne!"

"The general is late. Please forgive his crime, Your Majesty!"

Cao Mao was suddenly speechless.

What the hell.

So I'm the one bullying the general here, right?
Cao Mao hurriedly asked, "How dare you let the general come to greet us in person?"

"I am an average person with no talent, so it is difficult for me to inherit the great cause. I have heard that King Pengcheng is very wise and his reputation is recognized by everyone in the world. I am still young."

Whenever Cao Mao ran out of cards to play, he would play the card of the wise and virtuous Prince of Pengcheng. This forced Jia Chong to stop and say helplessly, "Your Majesty, please do not underestimate yourself. Your majesty's wisdom is in no way comparable to that of the Prince of Pengcheng."

Jia Chong's words made Cao Mao feel much more at ease.

Sima Shi was not here to kill me.

If you want to kill me, there is no need to come here in person.

It seems that there has been some progress on Guanqiu Jian's side.

But it is unlikely that he came here to welcome me. Am I worthy of him doing this?

Moreover, he brought Jia Chong with him, which clearly showed that he had other intentions.

Welcoming me was just a pretext, he had other plans.

Jia Chong did not give Cao Mao a chance to think further. He took Cao Mao's hand and said kindly, "Come with me to meet the general."

Cao Mao was brought into the inner room, but Jia Chong did not follow him in. He stood at the door and closed it.

There were only Sima Shi and Cao Mao in the room.

Sima Shi knelt in front of the desk, ignoring Cao Mao and just looking at the document in his hand.

Cao Mao sat down cautiously next to Sima Shi and began to look at his most powerful opponent.

As a nobleman from a top aristocratic family, Sima Shi actually had a good appearance and was quite handsome when viewed from the side, but the tumor on his left eye ruined his beauty.

In addition, there is his current physical condition.

The eye disease has tormented him for many years, and now the situation is even more serious. It has made him extremely thin, and the loose clothes he wears are like cloth covering his skeleton.

Cao Mao could clearly feel Sima Shi's disregard for him.

This was not Sima Shi pretending, but he really ignored himself.

Perhaps in his eyes, I am not worth mentioning and can be crushed to death at any time. There is no need to take me seriously at all, and I am not an opponent.

Cao Mao regarded him as his most powerful enemy and lifelong rival, but unfortunately, this enemy never even looked at him straight in the eye.

Cao Mao did not feel lost or angry, but rather somewhat relieved.

It’s better to ignore it. It’s better to forget that there is such a person as yourself and let yourself do what you want.

Sima Shi put down the memorial in his hand and looked at Cao Mao coldly.

"Your Majesty, why are you so reluctant to go to Luoyang? Have you forgotten your old friends there?"

"An old friend from Luoyang?"

"That old friend from Guanqiu Dian Prefecture, it has been a long time since Your Majesty has seen him."

Cao Mao's hand trembled slightly.

"Ah? General, you must have made a mistake. I have never been to Luoyang and don't have any old friends there. As for the Guanqiu people you mentioned, I only know General Guanqiu Jian from Huainan."

Sima Shi continued to stare at him.

"Your Majesty is benevolent and righteous, and loves the people. He is able to accept talented people. This is very good."

"Back then, Yang Zong committed a grave offense. My father pardoned his crime and told me that he was a man of wisdom and could be used. However, he was unwilling to serve me, so I had no choice but to demote him to a lower position, thinking that after I died, he would be able to serve my family."

"He's been drinking and taking pills all day, living in a daze. I thought he was no longer useful, but Your Majesty could actually resurrect such a dead body and use it for your benefit. Persuade Guo Jian to inform the various clans in advance so that they can put pressure on us to protect Your Majesty."

"nice."

Cao Mao laughed and said, "General, Yang Zong has the world at heart and is a truly virtuous man. You can definitely make use of this man and not let him waste his time in the local area."

"What about Guo Ze?"

"I promoted Guo Ze. I sent him to a local area and gave him important responsibilities, but he failed to complete his mission."

"He deceived the king and secretly aided his brother to use public power for personal gain, ultimately implicating his own brother. Your Majesty, do you think this crime warrants execution?"

Cao Mao was disturbed by this series of attacks.

When Sima Shi mentioned Guo Ze, Cao Mao almost couldn't suppress his anger.

"Your Majesty has a good reputation in Yuancheng. The local magistrate, Shu Wan, has failed in his duties. His position needs to be carefully considered. Originally, letting Shu Wan govern the area was a temporary move. Logically speaking, as a local, he cannot hold a local official position."

"However, sometimes exceptions must be made. Loyal and virtuous people are hard to find. I heard that the Shu family in Yuancheng is very talented, so the selection of the county magistrate must be properly arranged."

"Your Majesty, you see, governing a country is so complicated and difficult."

"Thank goodness I am here, otherwise, wouldn't the Great Wei Empire be destroyed in your hands?"

ps: The good news is that the number of collections has exceeded 70,000. I feel that the goal of collecting 100,000 before listing is still achievable!
The bad news is that there are too few book reviews to refer to.

(End of this chapter)