The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 559: Tell Him the Good News
When Cao Mao hurried back to Taiji Hall, someone was already waiting for him.

Seeing Cao Mao, the man hurriedly stood up, picked up the things in his hand with a smile, and walked quickly to Cao Mao.

"His Majesty."

The person who came was Zheng Xian, and she happily raised the cloth in her hand.

"I made a new dress for Your Majesty. Would Your Majesty like to try it on?"

After staying in the palace for some time, Zheng Xian has made some progress. Although she is not as sophisticated as Sima Yi, she is much more restrained than when she first came in.

Cao Mao didn't put on airs. He took the lower garment handed to him and nodded politely, "Thank you."

Zheng Xian followed behind him, and after Cao Mao sat down, she boldly sat next to Cao Mao, almost sitting right next to him.

Cao Mao looked at the skirt a few more times and praised it, "The workmanship is quite good."

Zheng Xian finally laughed. "Your Majesty," she said, "didn't you say earlier that you wanted to host a family banquet? I've already arranged that. It all depends on who you want to invite."

Cao Mao stroked his chin.

Of course, the family banquet is for the royal family, and some princes from outside can also bring their families.

Of course, we still have to choose some young and strong ones, otherwise they will have to meet Emperor Liezu halfway.

Cao Mao always had a plan in mind when doing things.

Of the Three Kingdoms, only Wu is still struggling to survive. Judging from the wars in recent days, they won't be able to hold on for much longer.

This gap in national strength cannot be bridged by favorable terrain.

The biggest gap is the gap in the court. The State of Wu is now heading in a worse direction, with constant internal strife and struggles for power. There is basically no possibility of a turnaround.

Then the next step is naturally to take action against the big families, and to deal with the big families, the power of the royal family is needed.

If you want to get closer to the royal family, family dinners are indispensable. It is best to let your wives establish connections with the royal family members and don't look down on those women.

Almost every failed coup in the Wu Kingdom was due to women’s betrayal.

Cao Mao instructed, "The list of guests invited to the banquet will be in your hands soon. You should keep in touch with their wives through letters. Sometimes, you can invite them to the palace and interact with them more often."

Zheng Xian's eyes widened. She thought for a long time before she said, "I've never met them before. How can I make friends with them?"

"You don't need to make friends with them; they will find ways to make friends with you."

"Just don't offend these people. Go out more often and write more letters. Don't just focus on the royal family in the temple. You can also interact with the wives and daughters of the princes outside and the wives and daughters of the ministers in the temple."

"If you spend more time with them, you will gradually understand a lot of truths."

Zheng Xian nodded and said, "I'm afraid of making a mistake."

"It's not difficult, just listen to me."

Cao Mao made her bow her head, then whispered, "If you meet an older woman, complain to her about how disobedient and unapproachable young women are these days. Talk about how children are becoming increasingly difficult to discipline. If you meet a younger woman, complain to her about how difficult it is to serve her mother-in-law, and scold those beautiful women who flirt with men."

When Cao Mao told her how to make friends with women, Zheng Xian was completely stunned.

How do you even know this?
When Cao Mao said these words, his face remained calm. He was neither shy nor amused. He just looked very normal.

Sometimes, Zheng Xian feels that her husband is not quite like a human being.

He planned everything he did, even the things between husband and wife, he had to plan them out, such as how long the intervals would be, how many times they should be done, and how long they should last to avoid harming their bodies.

Is it really necessary to go to this extent?
Zheng Xian was already lost in thought when Cao Mao suddenly asked, "What's going on with the Queen Mother?"

Cao Mao hadn't visited the empress dowager for almost four days, mainly because he had too many things to do.

Zheng Xian quickly recovered and said, "It's fine. It's just that His Majesty hasn't been there for a few days, and the Queen Mother is a little worried."

"correct."

Zheng Xian remembered something and lowered her voice again, "Your Majesty, a few days ago, a eunuch brought a letter to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother was very happy after reading it, and then someone sent her a lot of gifts."

Cao Mao said nothing.

How could Cao Mao not know what was happening in the palace?

Of course he also knew about this matter. The person who sent the gift was Guo Huai's son, Guo Tong. This guy came to the Queen Mother under the pretext of having a connection, but in fact he just wanted to manipulate things in Shu.

This guy wants to be a governor over there.

After Guo Huai's death, the Guo family suffered a huge blow. Several pillars of the family were lost one after another. Because of these people, they were liquidated many times, and their power was completely different from before.

Guo Tong, though not very talented, had inherited his father's title but held no official position, and so he came to the Empress Dowager to seek an official position.
Just looking at this point, you can see that this person really has no ability and even no vision.

Cao Mao pondered for a moment before saying to Zheng Xian, "Regarding the banquet and the liaison matters, go find Sima Yi and ask her to help you."

"I'll go over and talk to the Queen Mother myself."

Zheng Xian quickly stood up, took a few steps, and reminded, "Then Your Majesty must try it."

Cao Mao smiled and did not answer.

After Zheng Xian left, she went straight to Sima Yi. Sima Yi was now alone in the palace, her son having gone to study outside the palace. Through some unspoken connections, Guo Ping had been sent directly to study with someone knowledgeable in Confucian classics.

That's right, he went to study with Wang Su, and Cao Qi, Sima You and others also studied there.

Sima Yi was very happy about this. After all, it was something she had always wanted for her son to study under a great scholar.

She stayed in the palace by herself. Although she felt a little lonely, she was in a good mood every day.

"Sister!"

Zheng Xian had not arrived yet, but her voice had already come in. Sima Yi hurriedly put down what she was doing and went to greet her.

Zheng Xian walked in and saw Sima Yi bowing to her, and helplessly helped her up.

"Sister, you entered the palace before me, why do you always have to be like this?"

"There must be rules in the palace."

Sima Yi replied with a smile.

Zheng Xian shook her head again. Sometimes, she really felt that Sima Li might be a better match for her emperor.

She said, "Your Majesty is like this, and you are like this too. Your Majesty has entrusted me with an important task today, and I want to ask for your opinion."

"Okay, sit down first. I just made some snacks. Eat while you talk."

Perhaps because she had no competitiveness, Sima Li and Zheng Xian had a very good relationship. Zheng Xian usually used Sima Li as her military advisor.

"Sister, how long has it been since His Majesty came?"

Zheng Xian asked curiously as she had just put a piece of candied fruit into her mouth.

Sima Yi answered without hesitation: "It has been twelve days. Your Majesty will come tomorrow."

"He's really lucky that Mr. Huangfu didn't tell him that having sex once a year would be good for his health."

Hearing Zheng Xian's words, Sima Yi smiled and said, "Your Majesty has greater ambitions. He is naturally unwilling to indulge in pleasure until things are done well. Besides, Your Majesty is still young, so let's wait until he grows up a few years."

"Then I guess I'll have to go to my sister's place every day."

The two started chatting, and Cao Mao also came to Zhaoyang Palace at this time.

When the Queen Mother saw Cao Mao, the worries she had been having for these days were finally put to rest. She breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked Cao Mao to sit next to her.

"My son, you haven't come to see me for four days. I thought something happened to you."

"I'm sorry to have worried mother. The war with Wu has been so complicated that I haven't been able to come and see you."

As Cao Mao's power grew, the role of the empress dowager became less obvious. Cao Mao had no need for her and just wanted her not to cause any more trouble for him.

Of course, it cannot be said to be completely useless.

The Queen Mother was also a safeguard for Cao Mao. She could not deal with others, but she was very useful against the royal family.
Cao Mao needed to maintain his good image among the royal family.

However, if some members of the royal family go too far, they must be severely punished.

At this time, the Queen Mother can come out and do things. In the big family of Cao, although Cao Mao is considered the head of the family, the Queen Mother Guo has more weight.

If Empress Dowager Guo ordered the killing of a member of the royal family or punishment,

Cao Mao could only "carry out with tears" and could not object.

Queen Mother Guo cleared her throat and began to speak, "A few days ago, Yangqu Marquis Guo Tong came to me and said he wanted to serve the country. He's Guo Huai's son, and I heard he's an expert in strategy. Why don't you use him?"

Cao Mao laughed and asked, "Has he told mother what kind of official position he wants to hold?"

"He said he wanted to go to Shuzhong. There's a lot of work to be done there, and it's the perfect place to make a name for himself."

Cao Mao nodded. "Since mother has spoken, I naturally cannot disobey. How about this? Let him go to Shu and become the governor of Nanzhong. What do you think, mother?"

Queen Mother Guo laughed. She had no idea about Nanzhong and Yunzhong. She only knew that her son had agreed to her and she felt valued. That was enough.

She said hurriedly, "Son, I'm just recommending you. Don't make me appoint someone new without further investigation."

"Don't worry, mother. Since you're the one who asked me to do so, how could I not obey you?"

"Please invite him over later, and don't let him send people to deliver things secretly anymore. You can tell him the good news in person!"

"You want to achieve great things and assist the Holy King. This is a good thing. How could I not agree? I was worried about the lack of talent in Shuzhong and no one was willing to go to Nanzhong. I didn't expect that the Marquis of Yangqu would actually volunteer."

Cao Mao sighed, "As expected of General Guo's son, he has inherited his father's demeanor. Very good!"

"I promise, mother, you can summon him later!"

Hearing Cao Mao's words, Empress Dowager Guo was very excited and nodded quickly.

"it is good!!"

(End of this chapter)