The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 315 What year is it today?

He was one of the masterminds behind Cao Pi's usurpation of the Han throne.

Sima Yi was well aware of the importance of that tool in maintaining the legitimacy of the Cao Wei regime.

The suggestion to get that person to come out and refute the fallacies of Mi Wei and others two years ago was made by him in the first place.

And now, this person has actually fallen into Mi Wei's hands?

Is this the real purpose behind Miu Vie's sneak attack on Hanoi?

Of course, this was not enough to shake Sima Yi's determination to continue holding out.

No matter how important a "name" is, it is ultimately not as important as "reality".

Military victory is the prerequisite for gaining everything.

He then said, "Now that the Duke of Shanyang has fallen into Mi Wei's hands, he will inevitably make a big fuss about the issue of the Han dynasty's legitimacy, just like when the Duke of Yang was kidnapped."

"I am not currently in court, and it is inconvenient for me to submit a memorial."

"This matter can only be decided by His Majesty himself."

After all, he had just lost a battle.

The person got lost in Hanoi.

However, upon hearing this, Xu Shu's face turned even more terrified, and he opened his mouth several times, only to hesitate.

Sima Yi knew the other party wouldn't speak without reason, and frowned, saying:
"Yuanzhi, please speak your mind!"

"Now that things have come to this, if we cannot be of one mind and one heart, are we only going to regret it when we face Zhuge Liang's executioner's blade?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu sighed heavily and spoke at an extremely slow pace:

“Three months ago… around the time of Mid-Autumn Festival… the late emperor… had already passed away in the palace.”

"...!!!"

Sima Yi was stunned for a full thirty breaths before he reacted.

He stepped forward and grabbed Xu Shu by the neck, questioning him sternly:
Do you know what you're saying? Huh!

Xu Shu smiled wryly and nodded, then pointed to the Way of Heaven:
"This matter concerns the Emperor; how dare I speak recklessly?"

"At that time, the Crown Prince and the officials in the court believed that the situation in Hedong was unclear, and that suddenly holding a funeral for the late emperor might shake the morale of the army."

"It should be noted that Zhuge Liang and others were the main figures... Liu Bei's funeral was held after he entered Chang'an. The funeral was even delayed until after he had occupied the entire Guanzhong region!"

"Sima Gong, consider this: if the situation weren't so dire, why would General Zuo have allowed me to use his banner to come to your rescue? I, Xu Shu, don't think I have that much influence!"

Sima Yi dejectedly let go, speechless for a moment.

Since the positions have been reversed, if I were in the court, I would probably agree to keep the death a secret for the time being, and only make it public when the war situation becomes clear.

But the problem is.

This isn't in Luoyang!
Who knows if the emperor had any other plans when he was on his deathbed?
Who knows if the Crown Prince will look down on him because he sees that he is no match for Zhuge Liang's might?

More importantly, would the other three trusted ministers who entrusted the young emperor with the care of the young emperor be happy to see themselves lose power?

The fewer people who share power, the better!

It's laughable that he's always lived in seclusion north of the river, surrounded by mountains and rivers, yet he still thinks he can remotely control the court.

Before I knew it, I had no idea what year it was!
With this in mind, Sima Yi finally found it difficult to convince himself to stay.

I just want to get back to my hometown of Hanoi as soon as possible.

He then instructed a clerk:

"Tell Wu Jizhong that I am returning to Wen County to suppress the bandits and gather provisions. Ask him to guard the pass well and prevent it from falling into Zhuge Liang's hands!"

The clerk accepted the order and left.

However, just a moment later, Shuzuo hurriedly returned, looking both amused and exasperated, and said:

"General Wu returned to Hanoi last night, saying he would personally raise military provisions for Lord Sima!"

pat.

Sima Yi was so stunned that he collapsed to the ground.

At that moment, he inexplicably recalled the time when he often teased Xu Shu.

The mind is in turmoil.

……

Hedong Commandery, Duan Clan.

When Miwei arrived at a large mansion in the city.

Jiang Wei was personally leading men to guard the gate.

His face was tense, as if facing a formidable enemy.

I only relaxed a little when I saw Miwei.

Miwei: "That one still isn't eating?"

Jiang Wei shook his head helplessly and said:

"They said they only wanted to eat venison."

“Venom…would he dare say that to Cao Pi?” Mi Wei scoffed lightly.

He raised his hand to indicate that those on either side did not need to follow.

Soon after, Miwei walked alone into the courtyard of the house.

A middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes and silk shoes sat under a big tree, gazing at the sky in a daze.

There were also four women of different ages beside him, but they all looked like they were from wealthy and well-off families.

When the three women saw Mi Wei approaching, they turned pale and quickly hid behind their husbands.

The remaining person, though also apprehensive, managed to remain calm and respectfully bowed to Miwei.

Mi Wei raised his hand to signal the four women to step back, then walked directly to the man and stood there.

The man remained silent, gazing at the sky.

So Miwei remained silent.

He simply had his servant bring a copper kettle, charcoal, and water, and poured some tea leaves into the kettle to slowly simmer.

As the water temperature rose, a refreshing fragrance filled the air. The man's gaze was drawn to it, and he sniffed.

He asked in fluent and elegant Luoyu dialect:

"What is this?"

Miwei stirred the floating leaves on the water with a wooden spoon and said:
"The tea porridge presented by King Wu Deng's envoy is a delicacy from Jiangdong."

Upon hearing the words "King of Wu," the man subconsciously frowned.
"No one but a member of the Liu family can be king."

“That makes sense.” Mi Wei nodded.

"But what about the King of Wei and his son?"

The man blushed and said in a muffled voice:
"We are at our wits' end, and there is nothing we can do."

Then, before Miwei could speak, he asked again:

"Since these are tributes presented to the emperor by the feudal lords, why do you use them for yourself?"

Mi Wei: "It was bestowed by the Emperor."

Man: "Where is the Emperor?"

Mi Wei: "In Chang'an."

Man: "How can the emperor be in Chang'an?"

Mi Wei put down the wooden spoon and calmly replied:
"The emperor can also be in Luoyang."

"Whether it's the east or the west, all under heaven belongs to the Han people."

"Only one who can pacify the Han territory, protect the ancestral temples, and safeguard the people can be the Son of Heaven of the Great Han."

"As for where the deer goes, why bother?"

The man was stunned and speechless.

After a long while, he finally spoke again:

"What year is tonight?"

Mi Wei replied: "The first year of Jianxing, the twelfth month of winter."

"Jian'an, Jianxing, Jian'an, Jianxing..."

The man muttered to himself, his voice gradually fading.

They remained silent for a long time afterward.

Miwei poured two cups of the cooked porridge.

I drank it all by myself.

The other cup was not handed to the other person.

He simply placed it in front of him casually.

The man stared at the rising steam and swallowed hard.

Suddenly he looked up and said:

"If I do not eat venison, will I be allowed to enter Chang'an?"

Miwei shook his head:

"This matter still needs to be reported to the Emperor for approval and discussed by the imperial court."

"Until then, please rest and recuperate at the Duan family's residence."

Upon hearing this, the man finally became enraged:
“In the past, the three families of Zhao, Wei and Han divided the state of Jin and moved the ruler of Jin to Duanshi.”

"Now that you have established yourselves as the legitimate rulers, do you intend to follow the practices of the three dynasties?"

Upon hearing this, the four women who had retreated to the back turned pale again, and soon sobs could be heard.

Mi Wei ignored it.

He blew on the hot porridge and took a small sip.

He said slowly and deliberately:
"The ruler of Jin was neither virtuous nor capable. Even when Zhi Bo was alive, he had already lost power and was in charge of private affairs. Why did he have to wait until the three families divided Jin before he realized his mistake?"

"Now that Your Majesty has endured many hardships and returned to the Han court, as long as you remain law-abiding and do not lose your status as a royal prince, your descendants will also enjoy the same treatment as members of the royal family."

"If he makes contributions to the state in the future, he can still be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple as a meritorious official, and his blood offerings will never cease."

"Isn't this more enjoyable than being a deposed king in Zhuolu City?"

With that, Mi Wei put down his cup and ordered his servants to bring out the cooked hot food, placing it alongside another cup of tea porridge.

The four women behind them also had food to eat.

"Drink it while it's hot, eat it while it's hot."

"No matter how delicious the food is, it won't taste good once it gets cold."

The middle-aged man was none other than Liu Xie, the Duke of Shanyang.

Upon hearing this, his expression changed several times, and he finally realized that he was in the wrong.

He bowed slightly and then stepped forward to take the cups and plates.

He first took a sip of the tea porridge and marveled at its bittersweet taste.

But when the chopsticks reached into the plate, they found that it was covered with a thin, semi-transparent paper.

You can only see tiny beads of condensed water vapor; you can't see the meat inside.

Feeling inexplicably apprehensive, he asked with a face full of surprise and doubt:
"Is this... filled with horse meat?"

Snapped.

Mi Wei put down his cup and said irritably:

"You keep switching between deer and horse, who are you calling Zhao Gao?"

After saying that, he turned and left.

Liu Xie was immediately embarrassed; he didn't know whether to chase after him or not.

Only when my stomach started growling and I couldn't resist tearing open the paper film did I finally feel completely at ease.

It turned out to be a fish and mutton stew with salted plum.

(End of this chapter)