The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 44: Conferred the title of Duke of Jin!
In fact, Cao Mao could have blamed everything on Wang Su in front of the empress dowager.

Even if someone from the Sima family was watching him, he dared to say so.

However, he needed Gao Rou to participate as well, even if it was just to show up.

The Guo family is now becoming weak, and only by letting Gao Rou show up can it cause a response.

Gao Rou would definitely not help me accuse Wang Su, but it didn't matter. As long as I could find a way to make Guo believe that Wang Su was the person behind the incident, I could make the Wang and Sima families think that it was Gao Rou who told Guo.

I don't ask them to kill each other. As long as they don't trust each other, cause discord in the court, and make Sima Shi waste his time, then I win!

Now we need to be prepared, as everything depends on Sima Shi's condition.

The Guo family must be won over.

He wanted to contact the local rangers, and the most appropriate way was to go through Guo Jian's route.

Do you still remember the Luoyang restaurant you originally envisioned?
Guo would not get close to me for no reason.

So how do you win the favor of the Guo family? Actually, it's very simple. These big families only care about profit, not human feelings.

After killing Guo De, Sima Shi appointed Sima Wang as the General of the Guard and let him and Guo Jian jointly command the imperial guards.

This was a direct division of Guo's military power within the palace, driving a powerful nail in the coffin.

Sima Wang was the son of Sima Fu. He was a very successful man at a young age and was definitely not an ordinary person.

Guo was quite unwilling, but she had no choice.

But he had a way to drive Sima Wang away.

Historically, Cao Mao valued Sima Wang very much. Because of his father's relationship, he often asked him to accompany him and rewarded him with carriages and horses so that he could come to accompany him at any time.

This action frightened Sima Wang. Sima Wang was a cautious person and was unwilling to take sides easily and ruin the reputation of both father and son. He was terrified and quickly requested to be sent away.

Of course, these words cannot be said now, and the people sent by the Sima family are standing aside.

However, as long as he could see the Queen Mother in private, he would tell the truth.

These are Cao Mao's current plans, to bring Gao Rou in, then use Sima Wang's affairs to repair the relationship with Guo, and then get in touch with local people through the restaurants that deliver meals.

However, it is easy to say but difficult to do.

But Cao Mao could not give up easily. As long as he could get in touch with local people, Cao Mao was confident that he could cultivate a group of his own forces in Luoyang.

Empress Dowager Guo had many doubts in her mind at this moment, but she did not think of asking in front of outsiders.

Empress Dowager Guo was not very smart. If she had some tricks up her sleeve, things would not have gone so smoothly for the Sima family.

"Since I have inherited the mantle of Emperor Liezu, I can no longer act recklessly like I did in Yuancheng. I cannot disappoint the high expectations of the wise men in the court."

The Queen Mother taught Cao Mao very naturally.

Of course, Cao Mao pretended to be extremely serious and listened to the Queen Mother's teachings.

After pretending to complete the teaching, the Queen Mother ordered Cao Mao to go to the front hall.

The coronation ceremony was held in the front hall.

In fact, the ceremony is not that simple. Logically, one should first worship the ancestors and emperors, consider the succession, slaughter livestock, and finally ascend the throne as emperor.

But the Sima family is now eager to let Cao Mao ascend the throne.

Cao Mao could probably guess the reason. Sima Shi wanted to use the emperor's power to control the disobedient.

If he wanted to deal with Guanqiu Jian, he could become a very useful trump card in his hand.

As long as Guanqiu Jian recognized him, Guanqiu Jian's attack on Sima Shi could become a rebellion against the emperor's orders.

After saving many steps, Cao Mao hurriedly carried out his coronation ceremony in the front hall.

Cao Mao was officially crowned emperor of Wei.

However, he didn't feel the slightest bit excited.

Just as Yang Zong said at the beginning, this road is a complete dead end, and he has no chance of defeating the general.

In fact, Cao Mao didn't know how far he could go, and whether the final result would be what he wanted.

But, you always have to try it once.

When Cao Mao put on the emperor's crown and accepted the worship of all officials in the front hall, there was no extra expression on his face. He was like a puppet, moving stiffly according to the orders of the ceremonial officer.

The ministers were very satisfied with the new puppet of the empire.

Thinking of the upcoming promotion, they were even more excited.

An official brought the imperial edict and handed it to Cao Mao, who then handed it back to him and read it out.

"Your Majesty's decree: In the past, the Third Ancestor was a divine and virtuous saint, and was blessed by Heaven. The King of Qi succeeded to the throne, but acted recklessly and violated his virtue. The Empress Dowager deeply understands the importance of the country and accepts the advice of the Prime Minister." The official read it aloud. This was the first time Cao Mao heard his own decree.

He also listened carefully.

The state affairs seemed to have nothing to do with them, and the ministers carried out the following ceremony on their own.

Next, he issued another decree, granting amnesty to the whole country, and at the same time changed the reign title of King Cao Fang of Qi, Jiaping, to Zhengyuan. From today on, it was the Zhengyuan period.

After changing the reign title, he issued another decree, ordering him to cut down on his expenses for carriages, horses, clothing, and harem, and to remove useless items from the palace and government offices in order to demonstrate his benevolence and set an example for the people of the world.

Cao Mao was just a spectator here, sitting on the number one viewing platform.

No one looked at him, and no one cared about him.

His only role in the temple was to stand there, listen to the ministers speak, and then nod.

Of course, except Wang Su.

Wang Su tried to stay as far away as possible. He was really scared of Cao Mao.

After today's ceremony, he was determined not to appear in front of Cao Mao again. Even if he had to pretend to be sick and go home, he would never have anything to do with this guy.

“Gentlemen!!!”

Cao Mao spoke loudly.

The ceremony was suddenly interrupted, and the ceremonial officers looked at the new emperor and his ministers in astonishment.

At this moment, Wang Su felt horrified. If this guy talked nonsense in such a situation, something serious would really happen!

Cao Mao looked at the people in front of him and said seriously, "I originally did not have the ability to inherit the throne. I rely entirely on the Queen Mother and the wise men in the court."

"Especially if we rely on the Great General's clan."

"Ever since Duke Xuanwen eradicated the traitors from the court, and now the great general has been working hard for state affairs, all the wise men in the clan have devoted themselves to the country and valued the virtuous and cherished the scholars!"

"Without Duke Xuanwen's family, how could the Wei Dynasty be what it is today?"

"Their family has assisted the emperor for generations, and their achievements surpass those of all the ministers. The whole world has benefited from the Sima family's grace, so they must be canonized!"

Cao Mao suddenly looked at Sima Fu who was standing in the first place.

"I hereby grant Sima Gong, the Marquis of Changsha County, and the title of Duke of Jin, eight counties, including Taiyuan, Shangdang, Xihe, Leping, Xinxing, and Yanmen in Bingzhou, and Hedong and Pingyang in Sizhou, covering an area of 700 li!"

At this moment, all the ministers were stunned.

The previously lively atmosphere became dead silent at this moment, and no one spoke a word.

Gao Rou's eyes flashed with surprise, and she looked at Sima Fu beside her.

Sima Fu was stunned!

Duke Xuanwen and the general have made great contributions, so you should confer the title on the general. Why are you conferring the title on me?

He suddenly knelt down in front of Cao Mao, tears streaming down his face once again.

"Your Majesty! How could I possibly deserve such a reward from Your Majesty? Please revoke the order! I dare not accept it!"

Cao Mao hurried forward to support him.

"Old General, the Sima family has made great contributions. I want to confer the title of Grand General. However, you are the general's elder. How can I skip you and reward the general?"

"Please don't worry. After I confer the title upon you, I will confer the title of Grand General upon you and make him a king!"

"Confer the title of Duke upon the General of the Western Expedition, and both of his sons shall be made Dukes!"

"I will never leave anyone behind! And all of you wise ministers!"

Cao Mao looked at the ministers in front of him again and said loudly: "How many talented people there are in the world!"

"During this process of deposing and enthroning the emperor, the ministers and officials provided advice and made tremendous contributions. They should be rewarded to varying degrees according to their achievements!"

"And the wise men of the Great Wei are devoted to the country, assisting me in governing the world. How could I be stingy in bestowing titles and rewards upon them?"

"My ministers work so hard! If I can't share their suffering, can't I also share their prosperity?!"

"When I came to Yuancheng, the general told me that I didn't need to worry about the major issues of governing the country. The court is full of loyal and talented people, all pillars of the country!"

"I absolutely cannot neglect these pillars!!"

"Please obey my orders!!"

Cao Mao bowed again to Sima Fu.

PS: There are so many great writers who launched books in August and September. If I had known, I would have launched them later. I feel like I will be beaten by them and won’t be able to grab the recommended position. Please vote for me for the monthly ticket~~~ I don’t want to be beaten on the new book list~~~
(End of this chapter)