The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 45: Progress Together

When they first saw Cao Mao, the ministers were unable to connect the noble Duke Gao, who had caused unrest in the world before he ascended the throne, with the humble young man in front of them.

But now, they finally see clearly.

This guy is really not an easy person to deal with.

After Cao Mao finished speaking, the entire front hall fell into dead silence.

Sima Zhao stood among the ministers, staring at Cao Mao in front of him, probably thinking that he had strangled him to death countless times in his heart.

Sima Yan couldn't help but grin, "Father, am I going to be made a duke?"

"Shut up!"

Sima Fu was the first to break the deadlock. He said, "Your Majesty! Absolutely not!"

"Duke Xuanwen's great contributions earned him the title of Duke. This kind of grace is beyond the reach of our family. What merits and virtues do we possess to deserve such a reward from Your Majesty?"

"I've heard that since ancient times, those who govern a country must clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments. If this is not done, it will be the beginning of chaos."

"Today, we haven't achieved any great merit, yet we are receiving such a reward. If we truly achieve merit in the future, how will Your Majesty reward us?"

"Your Majesty, please retract the order!"

Sima Fu spoke loudly.

He was really scared this time. This decree was really fatal.

Even if he was crazy, he would not dare to obey this decree.

After he finished speaking, he looked at the ministers behind him. The ministers looked at his and Sima Zhao's expressions and did not dare to take any action.

The ministers' eyes were all somewhat complicated at this moment.

Why does Your Majesty suddenly want to enthrone the Sima family?

Just now, he actually said he wanted to confer the title of king on the general?
I heard that General Zhengxi met with His Majesty yesterday. Could it be that...
Is this the general's instruction?

No way, isn't this just putting yourself on fire?

However, does Your Majesty really want to confer titles on meritorious officials with such fanfare?

Everyone had different ideas, and this time, they did not follow Sima Fu to persuade the emperor.

After all, everyone wants to make progress. If your Sima family makes progress, then we can also make progress. This is not a bad thing.

However, the expressions of those important officials were very ugly.

After all, those who don’t get enough of the cake hope to abandon the original way of dividing it and get more.

However, those who have received a large share of the cake do not want to change the distribution method, lest they get less.

The ministers had different ideas.

Sima Fu still tried to persuade him.

Cao Mao looked at the ministers and called out, "Where is Lord Jia?"

The ministers looked at each other.

Sima Fu asked, "Your Majesty, are you talking about Jia Gonglu?"

"Exactly! Where is he?"

"Your Majesty, he is working at the General's Mansion and did not come."

Jia Chong was the general's personal minister, not Cao Mao's minister. Unless the general authorized him to do so, he had no right to appear here.

Cao Mao sighed and said, "If Lord Jia were still here, he would surely be able to convince you."

"I sincerely wish to confer titles upon the Sima family and the many meritorious officials here. Why do you disagree?"

"This is not the way a wise king governs the world. Your Majesty, please consider this carefully!"

"Do you think so too?"

Cao Mao looked at the ministers in front of him.

The ministers fell silent, but Gao Rou took the initiative to step forward and said, "Your Majesty, I think this is absolutely not possible!"

Cao Mao seemed to be moved by what he said. He pursed his lips, looked at Sima Fu helplessly, and continued: "Well, then I will grant you the Yellow Axe. You can enter the court without bowing, report matters without naming, and enter the palace with your sword and shoes!"

Sima Fu still wanted to refuse, but looking at Cao Mao's determined eyes, he finally compromised helplessly.

Cao Mao looked at the ministers again and said, "As for the merits of the ministers in supporting the throne, it is up to you to decide. Minister of the Interior has the highest merit and can be granted a higher title."

Sima Fu accepted the order.

Gao Rou remained unmoved.

Based on his contribution to the dethronement and enthronement this time, the Sima family should compensate him, and there is no need for Cao Mao to give orders.

The ceremony ended hastily, and many of the original ideas were abandoned. Wang Su was really afraid that something would happen again.

This almost absurd ceremony ended in silence.

Cao Mao was sent to Xitang.

The ministers then dispersed.

Sima Fu had a gloomy face; he had already sensed the difficulty of the new emperor.

This person simply doesn't play by the rules.

The coronation ceremony actually wanted to enthrone the entire Sima family.

They must be crazy to accept such a reward.

Looking at the strange looks from the ministers around him, Sima Fu felt a headache.

"Congratulations, uncle."

At some point, Sima Zhao appeared beside Sima Fu, bowed and said. Sima Fu stopped and turned to look at Sima Zhao.

"Zi Shang, do you think this is something that will benefit the clan?"

Sima Zhao saw the seriousness on his uncle's face and quickly put away his smile. "Uncle, please don't be angry. I heard that flies can't harm people, so I'm disturbing them with my noise."

"This is a useless act of the fly, which is all well and good. I'm afraid people will never dare to get close to flies again."

Sima Fu frowned and said seriously, "I don't understand what you are saying."

"Uncle, no one else"

Sima Fu didn't wait for Sima Zhao to say anything more, turned around and left.

Sima Zhao watched him walk away helplessly. After he walked away, Sima Zhao looked at Du Yu behind him.

"Yuan Kai, what do you think His Majesty is going to do?"

"Your Majesty's actions are quite absurd, but they are filled with murderous intent."

"Now, some ministers will think that this is your order, and they all hope to be promoted to a higher rank along with you. Next, they will write a letter about this matter, asking you to accept it and share in the reward."

"People like Gao Situ will be angry, thinking you are acting too hastily and trying to seize their power."

"If you accept, you will be condemned by the world and the favorable situation will be ruined. If you do not accept, you will have to deal with the petitions and dissatisfaction of the ministers."

"However, I believe that His Majesty is using this method only to distract you. He probably has other intentions, and this is just a cover-up for his real purpose."

"Plot?"

Sima Zhao almost laughed out loud, "He's already entered the palace, what else could he be planning?"

"Jia Chong personally arranged everything for both the inner and outer circles. His every move, even his dreams, was clearly heard. Plot? Well, let's see what this wise king has in mind!"

Looking at Sima Zhao with a mocking look on his face, Du Yu was speechless.

He was promoted by the Sima family and was a disciple and former official of the Sima family, so naturally he was loyal to them. However, things like dealing with the royal family and plotting for the country were not what he was willing to do.

Du Yu was actually very conflicted, and when he heard Sima Zhao's laughter, he felt even more bitter.

He could point out some of the emperor's thoughts to the general, but he really didn't want to offer the general any strategies to deal with the emperor.

On the other hand, a eunuch found Gao Rou and asked him to meet the Queen Mother.

When Gao Rou arrived at Zhaoyang Palace, Empress Dowager Guo and Guo Jian were already waiting for him.

Even the Queen Mother would not be too rude in front of Gao Rou and had to stand up and return the greeting.

Guo Jian also hurriedly stood up and asked Gao Rou to sit down.

Gao Rou sat down opposite Guo Jian and looked at the Queen Mother.

"Is there something important that the Queen Mother called me for?"

Empress Dowager Guo was stunned, and Guo Jian's face showed some anger, but he didn't dare to show it.

The Queen Mother sighed deeply and said, "His Majesty came to see me today and told me that you knew something. He called you here to inquire about it."

Gao Rou suddenly laughed.

"Why would the Queen Mother take this young man's nonsense to heart?"

Gao Rou was unwilling to continue interfering with Guo in these matters. Out of kindness, he reminded her, "Your Majesty's behavior these past few days has been dissolute and absurd. You need the Queen Mother's discipline."

"When you ascended the throne today, Your Majesty announced that you would confer the title of Duke on Sima Fu, and also announced that you would confer the titles of Prince on Sima Shi and others."

"It caused great fear among the ministers."

"I've heard that people who are in danger and don't realize it are doomed to fail sooner or later."

"Your Majesty is all alone, and instead of thinking about how to live a proper life, you repeatedly provoke the general and attempt to provoke him. This is truly a case of not knowing how to live or die."

"Queen Mother, please do not get entangled with this boy again in the future, otherwise, you will definitely suffer from him."

"It's all over. There's no need to dwell on it. From now on, please restrain your clansmen and stay in Zhaoyang Palace. You won't be treated unfairly."

Gao Rou didn't even have any intention of hiding anything and spoke very bluntly.

After saying this, he stood up and said, "I have some important things to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

He turned and left here.

Guo Jian's face looked extremely ugly.

"After my brother passed away, this old dog has become even more disrespectful to my family."

The Queen Mother also looked unhappy.

"If it weren't for me, how could he have done that?"

Guo Jian gritted his teeth and said, "Sister, this fellow clearly doesn't want to tell the truth. Yesterday, all the ministers saw Cao Mao whispering in his ear, and he looked extremely surprised. Could it be that after seeing our Guo family's defeat, he has completely given up on us?"

The Queen Mother also felt helpless at this moment.

Normally, Guo Delai was the decision maker. When he was not around, the empress dowager had no one to make decisions when she encountered such things.

After hesitating for a long time, Empress Dowager Guo seemed deflated.

"Now we are powerless, why not just do as Situ said"

"How can this be?!"

"If it weren't for us, would this old dog be where he is today? Would the Sima family be as powerful as they are today?"

"That Sima Wang divided up the military power within the palace, that's fine, but that Jia Chong is going too far. He actually dared to act on his own and replace the people under my command. Can even a scoundrel like Jia Chong bully us?!"

"Big sister, this matter absolutely cannot be left like this!"

ps: Taiping Heavenly Kingdom style of governing the country, everyone has a throne, no one is left behind, hahaha~~ not for anything else, just to make trouble!
(End of this chapter)