The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 731: Don’t Be the Queen Mother, Be the Mother of the Emperor

The two returned to the Tai Chi Hall and sat down separately.

Liu Lu then spoke up, "Your Majesty is a person of great wealth, how can you wander around Luoyang at will?"

"Man Changwu is tall and very conspicuous. Your Majesty has an extraordinary temperament, standing out like a crane among chickens. Those people will easily notice him."

Liu Lu gave a few words of advice and Cao Mao nodded.

"You have a point."

He asked again: "What information did you find out?"

Liu Lu then said solemnly: "Your Majesty, this is what happened. My spy in Pingzhou has reported this."

"We have sent some people to keep an eye on the important figures who moved from Wu to Pingzhou."

"The head of the Gu family received a letter not long ago."

"After reading the contents of the letter, he became anxious and uneasy. Even when his closest disciples in the clan asked about it, he refused to tell them."

"The clerk we sent learned of this and suddenly broke into his study at night, but the letter had been burned. When we questioned him, he simply said the letter contained nonsense and that he had burned it because he was unaware of it."

"We originally thought this was just a special case, but we never expected that many Wu people who migrated to Pingzhou had similar situations."

"This is not an exception."

"We then began searching for the letters and were surprised to find they came from Hanoi."

"I went to Hanoi myself. There are so many people in Hanoi who have grudges against Your Majesty. During my investigation, several postmen in Hanoi also mysteriously disappeared."

Liu Lu said this very seriously.

Cao Mao was not too surprised.

In fact, over the years, the people who are causing trouble have never stopped and have been constantly making trouble.

However, because Cao Mao had an increasingly mature Dianshifu and the quality of officials in various places continued to improve, most of these conspiracies were not completed.

There are several conspiracies against the imperial court in Luoyang every month.

It would be strange if it suddenly disappeared one day.

Although these people did not dare to resist and stop Cao Mao openly, they were constantly making small moves in private.

This time is obviously no different from the past.

Liu Lu said seriously: "Your Majesty, this time seems a little different."

"The information we found in Pingzhou said that someone might have intended to assassinate us."

Cao Mao raised his eyebrows. This was indeed something he had never expected.

It is normal for conspiracies against the government to emerge, but to assassinate oneself is a bit abnormal.

Who is so pessimistic?

The difficulty of assassinating the emperor is extremely high. Even when he is out, the overt and covert defenses around him are extremely strong. Who would want to do this?

However, as Liu Lu said, Cao Mao now has countless enemies.

What's more, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are all blood feuds.

There were all kinds of enemies, including those whose properties were confiscated, those whose clans were exterminated, those who were exiled, and those whose countries were destroyed.

During these years, Cao Mao simply pushed forward policies with great force, and hardly cared about the attitudes of his ministers and officials. Anyone who dared to speak differently would have a bad end.

But Cao Mao was not afraid, he even laughed.

"That's good."

"I was just worried that I wouldn't have the chance to attack the rest of the Central Plains."

"Maybe it can solve some of the financial pressure."

He looked at Liu Lu and said, "Investigate carefully, but don't rush to close the net. Catch more big fish so that it will be easier to take action later."

Liu Lu hurriedly saluted.

"only!!"

Liu Lu hurriedly left the Taiji Hall.

Cao Mao shook his head and didn't care too much about this matter. He was afraid that these people would not cause trouble. If they didn't cause trouble, how could there be any legitimate reason to punish the big families?
The big clans have close relations, and arresting one can rectify several.

Cao Mao sat in the hall and looked at several important memorials sent to him. Then, he was surprised to find that there was nothing he could do!

From the time he came to power until now, Cao Mao has hardly had a single day of free time. He spends every day busy, only occasionally calling his friends over to play chess or something.

I didn't expect that there would be times when I have nothing to do.

Thinking of this, Cao Mao felt mixed emotions.

He straightened his clothes, strode out of the Taiji Hall and headed towards the Changqiu Hall.

Since there is nothing important to do, of course I have to go hug my son!
Scorching sun.

In front of the Changqiu Palace, Cao Mao was sitting on a Hu bed. He looked very casual, his clothes were not very neat, and his shoes were placed casually aside.

There were a lot of fruits in front of him.

There are quite a few grapes.

Cao Mao really liked eating grapes. He also liked eating grapes and sugarcane.

Others would avoid the scorching sun, but Cao Mao loved it. He loved basking in the sun on days like this, always feeling his whole body blazing with warmth and feeling exceptionally comfortable. He had never had time in the past, but now he could finally take a break.

Several soldiers stood not far away, watching the situation on the emperor's side.

The queen sat next to Cao Mao and gently massaged his hands, shoulders and head.

Cao Mao smiled softly, "Today I finally understand how blessed the Emperor is."

Zheng Xian rolled her eyes at him and said, "Sister is pregnant, why don't you go and see her more often?"

Just a few days ago, the imperial physician diagnosed that Sima Yi was pregnant.

Although Sima Li had been in the harem for a long time, Cao Mao always felt something was wrong. Was she Sima Shi's grandson?
Initially, Sima Yi was forcibly arranged here by Sima Shi. Cao Mao also planned to regain Sima Shi's confidants after his death, so he continued to keep her after he took power.

But she has stayed like this until now. Until now, Sima Yi has a very good reputation in the palace. She is respectful to the queen and considerate to Cao Mao. It is difficult for Cao Mao to drive her out.

But then he thought again, since he had already kept Sima Yan, keeping Sima Yi would not be a big deal.

If the entire Sima family were to be liquidated without leaving a single one alive, then Sima Shi's brother-in-law Yang Hu, brother-in-law Du Yu, as well as Wang Chang, Zhuge Dan, He Zeng and others who were married into the Sima family would all have to be liquidated.

What would Yang Hu say if Yang Huiyu was to be killed? How would Du Yu react if his wife was to be killed?

If Sima You were to be killed, what would Wang Su do? You can't kill someone's grandson right after he leaves after making such a great contribution.
My surname is not Sima, so I can't do such a beastly thing.

Forget it. Anyway, the Sima family has been almost wiped out by Cao Mao. Only Sima Jun and Sima Wang are left among Sima Zhao's contemporaries. Only he and his younger brother are left among Sima Yan's generation. The rest of the Sima family have been imprisoned, exiled or killed. It is pure dream to want to revive them. You should first ask other super families if they agree.

Any branch of the Xun family is stronger than them.

Cao Mao said, "I've been there twice already. It's precisely because she's pregnant that I let her rest."

"Can we still let her come and serve us now?"

Zheng Xian rolled her eyes at him.

She added, "Your Majesty hasn't been to the Queen Mother's place for a long time. After all, the Wei Dynasty is governed by filial piety. If this news gets out, it won't be good for Your Majesty."

Cao Mao sighed deeply.

"Okay, I understand."

Speaking of which, since his son was born, Cao Mao rarely visited the empress dowager.

As for the Queen Mother, it's better to keep a distance from her. If you are too nice to her, her attitude will become very tough.

Of course, she was the queen mother after all, so Cao Mao had to recognize her no matter what, otherwise the consequences would be very bad.

Cao Mao basked in the sun for a long time. When the sun's rays were no longer so strong, he got up and went to Zhaoyang Palace to meet the empress dowager.

When Cao Mao appeared at the gate of Zhaoyang Palace, Mr. Guo was also shocked.

He hurriedly led his ministers to kneel and greet him.

Cao Mao asked him to go in and report, waited for a moment, and then went back in.

"His Majesty!!!"

Empress Dowager Guo came forward in a hurry. She looked much thinner than before, and her face had regained its shape, but she had heavy bags under her eyes, probably because she had not had enough rest.

Ever since Cao Mao reduced the number of his visits and later stopped coming altogether, Empress Dowager Guo lived in fear every day.

In the past, her edicts could compete with those of the emperor.

And now, she is nothing.

She had a strong feeling of being abandoned.

When Cao Mao saw her, he immediately wanted to bow to greet her, but was hurriedly pulled up by Empress Dowager Guo.

She forced a smile, an almost flattering one on her face, "Your Majesty, why are you like this?"

Cao Mao reminded him, "Mother, just call me your son. Why do you do this?"

"My son, my son, I called him by a wrong name. Come on, prepare the food!"

Empress Dowager Guo took Cao Mao's hand and almost asked him to sit in the upper seat, but Cao Mao sat next to her.

"Mother, I have been busy with many government affairs these days and have not been able to visit you often. I hope you will forgive me."

Cao Mao had said something similar in the past.

But his expressions at the two times were completely different. In the past, he looked sincere, but now, his eyes were sharp, he tilted his head, and spoke solemnly, as if to say: If you don't forgive my sins, you will die of illness!

Empress Dowager Guo shuddered and said hurriedly: "No, no, how dare I, my son is busy with world affairs, I am very pleased."

There was a reason why the Queen Mother was so afraid. After Cao Wen was born, she wanted to visit him.

As a result, as soon as he reached the gate of Changqiu Palace, he was stopped by the soldiers arranged by Cao Mao.

They wouldn't let the Queen Mother in.

Empress Dowager Guo was very angry about this and thought it was the Queen's order, so she wanted to force her way in.

As a result, she was supported by two soldiers on each side and forcibly taken back to Zhaoyang Palace. For a while, some soldiers even surrounded the palace inside and outside, not allowing anyone to leave.

By that time, Empress Dowager Guo was really scared.

She felt that Cao Mao's cruelty was even greater than Sima Shi's. If he did not bow his head, he might die from excessive grief over missing the Ming Emperor.

Cao Mao was very satisfied with her attitude. He said, "Mother, you supported me to my current position. I will definitely repay you. I just ask you to stay in the palace and not be the queen mother. Just be my mother, Cao Mao. That will be enough."

(End of this chapter)